Before the Dawn
by Nadramon
Summary: One blip is enough to bring everything grinding to a halt. So is a human amongst vampires. When he swore to find Sakura's attacker, Naruto didn't expect to go this far... AU Hetero Shounen-ai Eventual NaruSasu
1. Thus the Night gave birth

**Before**** the Dawn**

Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned in this story are mine, I'm borrowing them from Masashi Kishimoto because I like to write stories about them. Aside from locations' names, everything else is mine, this story being an Alternate Universe.

Author's Note: Welcome, dear readers, and thank you for checking my story! Before you start, there are some things I'd like to warn you about: first off, I'm French and what you're about to read is my translation of my fanfiction _Une Heure avant l'aube_. Hence this first chapter is three years old and I hardly changed anything. My style will change as the story goes, and the chapters will be longer. Also, this will be the last time I use a first person narrative. The prologue just had to stand out.

Documentation: I read a lot of vampire stories before attempting to write one, but most of my inspiration comes from Alexis Tolstoï's_ Oupires_, Richard Matheson's _I am Legend_, Sheridan Le Fanu's _Carmilla_ and, of course, Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. Since those are very different and vampires' strengths and weaknesses aren't always the same, don't protest if some things don't fit your own references. My version is an entirely original mix.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and enjoy the chapter!

_

* * *

On this dark winter's night_

_Darkness becomes this child_

_Bless this night with a tear_

_For I have none, I fear_ (Sonata Arctica, _Broken_)

_**Thus **__**the Night gave birth**_

_Six years ago._

Barely two and half in the morning. That was fast. Old rituals are held at midnight. All the same it found the time to make such carnage and flee… No wonder I sensed it from such a distance. Its powers do seem exceptional. Especially for a "newborn".

The smell of blood is everywhere. So are the bodies. Streets, front steps, houses are swarming with them… A real massacre. And yet, almost all of them seem to have been killed by surprise. It proved to be furtive. Fast, too. And terrifically efficient. Such mastery of its powers at birth… I'd never thought I would ever be entitled to such an opportunity.

I look around. The others are bustling about. Investigating, taking prints, samples, notes… Someone suggests hiding the evidence of the massacre's real cause. But they're too many. There's no time.

I focus my attention on the bodies and smile. Those fools. Why should we care about the opinion of ordinary people? Most still believe in the theory of a mad gang serial killing in order to wake old superstitions. People would believe anything rather than admit the very existence of supernatural. No point whatsoever in encouraging them. That's not what I'm here for…

I take my leave. The others have stopped paying attention to me. Yet again, they hesitated before taking me along. However, they are too aware of my abilities to keep me away now. They're precious to them and have to be developed as soon as possible. And what could be better than field work to expand one's knowledge? I'm already able to test the most complicated samples. Taking them myself makes the task easier. Plus, it's rare for us to get so many experimental subjects in one go.

But for now, taking samples is the last thing on my mind. I follow the path of the murderer, from corpse to corpse, without sparing them a second glance. It looks like not a single house in the neighbourhood was spared. However, it was headed to somewhere specific. The place I got that sensation from…

The others have yet to notice anything. If they come closer, they eventually will. I felt it as soon as we arrived. I quicken my pace. I will be the first there!

At last, my steps lead me to a great, ancient looking mansion. Its overhanging the others shows how important it is. Laughable. This house is screaming its belonging to the late clan's leader. Without hesitation, I step inside.

The smell of blood and death strikes me again. The leaders were not spared. Not that it was likely… But that's where the sensation comes from, I'm sure of it. It's stronger than ever. So much confined power…

I have to stay calm. I take a deep breath to slow my heartbeats, and then start walking towards a corner of the room, where I can distinguish shadows.

I come across two bodies in the middle of the room. This time I stop to observe them. It's a couple. A man and woman, one lying across the other, each about forty, and definitely dead. I still take a look at their lips but I know I won't find anything. On the other hand, unlike the others, they do have characteristic marks on their necks. I turn away. I'm used to this. Waste of time.

Finally I find what I have been looking for. There in the corner, a small body is lying flat on the floor, arms alongside its body, like the other two. I come closer and turn it around carefully. It's freezing to the touch. Moon rays getting in from the window above bring light to its face.

It's a very young boy, barely seven years old; so, one year younger than me. The ghostly paleness of his skin becomes pronounced under his unruly black hair. There are two small, bite-like marks on his neck. Blood is forming in-between his lips and trickling down his chin.

With one finger I lift his upper lip lightly, and allow myself a triumphant grin. Two short canines appear, abnormally sharp. Just as expected!

I take my hand back and watch the boy with renewed attention. His features are fine, though childish, and he's not particularly tall for his age. Rather short, in fact. I frown. No physical advantage whatsoever. That's bothersome. Then again, being short can be an asset, too.

I note that his nails have grown a little already. I look back at his face. Actually, vampire seeds are very clear in this boy. All the way to charm… At least one thing is for sure, he won't have any trouble finding food.

This time I laugh outright.

Enough of this joking. The others are going to wonder what's taking me so long. Without wasting another minute, I take two hollow needles out of my bag and move one near the boy's mouth. With careful moves I collect some of the blood forming there, which I'm positive is the murderer's. With this done, I use the second needle to take a sample of the boy's own blood. Too bad I don't have any living relative of his on hand. The comparison would have been less uncertain. The blood of a corpse will have to do…

My work done and my equipment put away, I heave up the boy on my back the best I can and, loaded with it, get out of the house. They can say whatever they want. I was the one who found him; I have all rights over his fate.

* * *

…

…_Cold…I'm cold…_

…

_What…What's going on…?_

…

_He had gotten up early, that day…A part of his training. It__'s good for the health, or so he had heard._

_Hurtling down the stairs, he had noticed his older brother, and stopped. He was standing still at the bottom of the stairs, exposing his profile to the boy's view as he looked out the window. He couldn't tell whether he had heard him come or not. Without altering his frozen expression or averting his gaze, his brother had whispered, seemingly to himself:_

"_This morning is the last time the sun will rise."_

_He had__ watched him, unable to understand, before he turned as well to face the star, which had just started rising in the morning sky. He rarely ever had the occasion to witness such a beautiful sight… Yet his brother's words were tolling like bells and some heavy foreboding was darkening the brightness of the rising sun. For a while he stood gazing at this spectacle like it really was the last time he would have the chance to._

_The feeling had faded as fast as it had come, and he had simply turned back to his brother and said hi, the incident already forgotten…_

…

_Big…brother?_

…

_He went home late… After school he had made a detour to the park. To train. He knew it was dangerous, by himself. But he couldn't help it. He had stayed long… The night had fallen…_

…

_N…No…_

…

_Blood. Everywhere. Dead people. A foul smell. Their surprised eyes rolled upwards. Their bleeding throats. Their bodies… Everywhere… His family… As far as the eye can see…_

_Where were his parents?_

…

_Stop…!_

…

_Dead. Both of them. His brother… "…you too." His eyes… The blood… The floor… The tears… Red. Red. Red. "You too." Red teeth. Pain. Bloody mist. Red._

…

…_NO!_

…

_Confused mind. A hand pulls his hair. Head jerked back. Open your eyes. Chest wound facing him. The blood… His brother…_

"_Drink."_

_BIG BROTHER!_

…

…

…

…_Where…am…I…?_

* * *

"Neji-sama!"

I turn my head away from my experimentations to glare at the speaker. I don't care if it's important. He interrupted me. And those researches are extremely important! And captivating… I never had the chance to test a blood so rich before…

"The boy is coming round!"

Right. All things considered, this was probably worth the interruption. But that idiot doesn't need to know. Without sparing him a second glance, I take a few steps towards the coffin in which my guest has been resting for two days now. He is awake alright. Waking, to be specific. His big black eyes are blinking up at the ceiling. First his face shows nothing but tiredness and confusion, then his eyes light up with alarm. All of a sudden he turns to face me. Upon seeing me, his expression becomes one of surprise and utter bafflement.

I smile, satisfied. Everything in his physical appearance shows that the transformation is complete.

"What is your name?"

For a while he looks at me with a mix of mistrust and incredulity, before answering my question:

"Sasuke Uchiha…"

I nod.

"I'm Neji Hyuuga. You can call me Neji-sama. Welcome to my manor."

His face shows a fleeting indignation but it is quickly overtaken by keen anxiety. My smile grows. Looks like he remembered his situation.

"Where are my parents?" He asks vehemently. "What about my brother? Why… am I here?"

I sigh deeply. He's obviously afraid of my answers. Typical. Young vampires are always tiresome in the beginning…

"You are here," I explain with patience, "because you don't have anywhere else to go anymore. Nothing of what you just went through was a dream. Everything is real. Your parents are dead. And you're a vampire, Sasuke Uchiha."

He doesn't flinch, sitting inside his coffin, his trembling gaze on me. Then, very slowly, as realization sinks in, the wavering glint in his eyes starts to fade. In the end, even though he's facing me, I can tell he doesn't see me anymore. His mind is elsewhere. Far, far away, where there's nothing left to look at.

"From now on, your life is mine." I conclude with these words, undisturbed.

My words seem to bring him back to reality but I can't tell whether he understood them or not. He looks at me with obvious indifference, like one would look at a peculiar rock on one's way, and stands up, like a sleepwalker. In the same fashion he walks to the door, opens it, and disappears. To my ears, the more distant the sound of his steps grows, the more he speeds up.

Keep running. You can't escape yourself.


	2. By Day

**Before**** the Dawn**

Disclaimer: I can't give you my name, but I can tell you it's not Masashi Kishimoto. Therefore, the only things belonging to me are the storyline and universe. The characters and locations' names were borrowed from the manga _Naruto._

Warning: Language. This is one of the reasons why this story is rated T…

Author's Note: Thanks to _sherbeth19__, Midnight Mourner, moopad_ and _NoNoWriter_ for their reviews, I really appreciate it! And to those who might review from now on, I always answer them all at the same time: when I update. So if you ever had troubles with the Alert system, like I did, no need to worry about it anymore. 8)

This chapter was beta-read by _brumal_. Deny it as much as you want dear, you're still awesome!

_

* * *

All human rights are now cancelled  
You need to handle the dreams of the day_ (Sonata Arctica: _Silver Tongue_)

_**By Day**_

_Today._

A sudden vibration woke the sleeping boy. After two seconds in open-eyed wonder, he remembered the source, seized it and switched it off hastily. His muscles tensed, he looked about, listening carefully.

The clothes he had stacked up the best he could on the windowsill the day before hardly let the morning light filter through, and the room was plunged into darkness. Neither the occupant of the next bed, nor those in the two other beds, lined up against the wall, had stirred. Nothing could be heard but the faint snoring of his farthest companion.

The boy relaxed and a wide grin slowly cut his face in two. Perfect…

Nibbling at his lower lip in intense concentration and anticipation, he pushed his blanket away and got out of bed as quietly as possible; he got dressed hastily, shoved his night-clothes and the alarm clock in his bag, then got on all fours and started groping in the dark. He remembered that it wasn't very far from his own bed… Somewhere around the left foot… There!

His grin got wider as he took a small, cold item out of his bag. To spot the first quickly was the main problem. Then, the light would guide him. Now everything depended on the speed…

He took the item in his right hand, holding firmly the one hidden under his neighbour's bed in his left hand. His thumb dived. A small flame shot up, lit the room dimly and woke a streak of sparks. Taking advantage of the faint glow, he rushed to the other two beds, found the two items under them, did likewise. Then he stood up, grabbed the bag on his way out, tripped, rushed to the door and…

BANG!

"URGH!"

He sniggered between his teeth as he sped up to the exit.

BANG! BANG!

"FUCK, NARUTO!"

He was now running in the already strongly lit corridor and giving vent to his hilarity under the panicked howls and swearing. He turned around in time to see one of his roommates' blackened head go through the door.

"If I catch you, you're dead, asshole!"

He just stuck his tongue out in reply before turning the corner at the same pace.

"NARUTO!"

"Whoa!"

Taken by surprise, he was going so fast he couldn't stop, ended up slipping and crashed nose first right before the slippers of the imposing mistress of the house. He let out a grunt in a fit of pain and pique. Yet again, something unexpected… So much for a dramatic exit…

"So you thought you could get off lightly this time?" asked the voice above his head in visibly hard-suppressed anger.

Leaning his hands on either side of his head, the boy stood up at once, his nose still bleeding some, before gracing the person opposite with a wide smile:

"Hey, old hag!"

As expected, the director started to swell with rage. It was a rather slow process, an opportunity one had to seize if they happened to be in the area when she got herself in such a state… Especially if they had caused it. However Naruto stood transfixed, mesmerized by what he was seeing.

The topic of "princess Tsunade"'s age was, in fact, taboo. Fifty years old since several months already, the venerable director made it her duty to look twenty and had provided herself accordingly at all the dermatologist's stores within her reach in order to undergo all manner of treatment, more or less appropriate. The boy had had the occasion to visit her "secret garden" before (and to alter its contents as his fancy took him), and that day had been…memorable. He shuddered in disgust at the thought to this very day:

About thirty depilatory creams, about twenty others supposed to harden the chest or soften the skin (or both…), plenty of nail polish, various hair dying cosmetics and many unidentifiable others… According to the legend, she had had a total of thirty four face lifts so far. Who knew?

Nevertheless, by day, it was undeniable that those products turned out to be rather effective. With her smooth skin, her slim waist and her two platinum blond ponytails, no third party would ever have suspected her real age if kept at arm's length. Or her personality, for that matter.

However, on waking up… _Especially_ when she swelled with fury like right now…

Naruto gulped. It was a sheer nightmarish sight. Some hideous green matter covered her whole body, which her night clothes and the dressing gown she had hastily slipped into unfortunately couldn't hide completely. One of the cucumbers that must have been resting on her eyes was now stuck to her cheek and tracing a winding way alongside it, down to the chin, as sweat drops formed through the mask.

Some of the unidentified product hung to the rollers keeping her greyish hair at bay and mingled with what was left of the dye into a peculiar shade of vomit, which was also starting to drip. Underneath, the director's already naturally red eyes were bloodshot ('Got plastered yesterday night…' the boy thought.) and veins were starting to beat on her forehead and temples, cracking the mask in places…

Noticing this brought Naruto out of his torpor and he was reminded that it was about time to take flight. That he did, right before his tutor exploded. He kept going to the exit at top speed, pursued by several blunt items thrown his way and by the furious woman's cries of rage.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Naruto stopped to get his breath back and check where he had ended up. He found himself in the middle of a street consisting of some houses, a baker's, and the butcher's shop he was standing near. As usual, there was hardly anyone outside.

He turned to the dark shop window and took a moment to look at his reflexion with a hint of bitterness. One thing he disliked about his physical appearance was being small. He knew tons of boys who were younger than him and half a head taller. And quite a lot of girls…

He sighed. 1m43 at thirteen… That took some beating! Though come to think of it, it did tend to make his activities easier. Many places were accessible to no one but him, which was indeed useful when you needed to hide. On the other hand, when it came to garnering respect, there was nothing worse… Except maybe an unchanged voice; and he had one as well…

He pulled a face. That aside, he couldn't find any particular reason to complain about his appearance: blond hair that were permanently standing up all around his head, big blue eyes, a natural tan and, the unusual detail everyone had to get used to, three horizontal scars drawing whiskers of sorts on his cheeks.

That's when he noticed the two cuts beside his right eye and recalled a faint pain there when a bowl that Tsunade had thrown his way broke against a wall. A piece of glass must have hurt him…

"That prune…" he grunted, wiping the blood with the back of his hand.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the rumbling of his stomach. Resigned to satisfy it, he rummaged through his bag and took out a frog-shaped wallet before checking its contents. Empty.

Grumbling in pique, he took out a sky blue rectangle wallet this time and opened it. With the same result.

"Just-great!" He sighed as he dropped to the floor wearily.

That was the one he had stolen from a student on recess who had been dumb enough to leave his bag in the classroom while Naruto had detention. He had escaped, gone by his classroom and pinched the item along with its contents before taking his leave through the window. But now he was broke…

"That means no ramen this morning..." he mumbled with fatalism. "I should have swiped something from the kitchen yesterday evening..."

He wasn't positive he meant what he just said. Most of the time the food at the orphanage was so revolting it wasn't even worth stealing. And when it was, there was a lot of competition. It's true that, whenever an orphan was determined to get edible food, going to the cafeteria was out of the question. Unless you were excessively abstemious and could feel content with the leftovers. No. You had to attack the kitchens late at night, at the exact time when the tutors went to sleep and right before potential rivals made their entrance. Most of the time, you were not lucky enough to be alone and the struggle was inevitable. The desired food went to the strongest.

To prepare for these kinds of drawbacks, some orphans teamed up: two or three of them joined forces to bring down their opponents and shared the booty afterwards. Unfortunately for Naruto, he had no one to trust in the orphanage, let alone anyone who trusted him.

Moreover, yesterday evening he had been all to the laying of the firecrackers' trick. He smirked at the memory. That had been something! A complete success! Except of course for that little element of surprise at the exit…

Since he had come back late after detention, he had been fortunate enough to find his three roommates asleep at his return and was therefore able to put into practice the plan he had had in mind for a week already, ever since he had stolen the firecrackers. First he had laid each of the three firecrackers under the beds, and then he had collected the three boys' clothes, which he had piled up on the window and kept in place thanks to the broken shutters so the sunlight would not wake them too early. Tsunade's stolen vibrator alarm clock lodged under his pillow allowed him to wake up on time, and his lighter (ex-property of the caretaker from the apartment building across the street) to light the firecrackers. All in all, nothing too complicated, but putting it into practice had been fun indeed. He sniggered as he recalled the face the person in the bed next to his had made…

Yet another protest from his digestive system brought him back to his current problem. He pulled a face, resigned, and went through his possibilities.

Maybe he could go to the market and shoplift… But it wasn't market day yet. The option of stealing a rice cake to the baker's remained, but he was a little too well-known there and his attempts were less and less successful… That left Konohamaru.

He nodded to himself and set off, abandoning the stolen wallet to its sad fate.

* * *

After a twenty minutes long walk, Naruto stopped before a hedge surrounding a rather large house, which he gazed at with a hint of nostalgia. It had been a while since he last came here…

The house itself looked unchanged: high stone walls half covered in ivy, a rust-coloured tiled roof and the small stairs leading to the raised wood terrace all along the wall. Outside, a rather neglected garden gave the whole a slight air of wilderness.

Naruto was quick to spot the "hole" inside the hedge (which actually consisted in a part devoid of branches that the leaves still covered) and his head went cautiously through. Upon noticing a boy throwing rocks at the grass, he smiled and sank deeper into the passage:

"Hey! Psst!"

The boy stood up at once, pointing a stick in what he apparently hoped to be a threatening stance. Then he recognized him.

"Chief!" he gave a cry of delight as he rushed to him.

"Hi Konohamaru!" Naruto answered with a toothy grin. "You made sure to train while I was away, didn't you?"

The boy threw out his chest in pride, oblivious to the teasing tone:

"'course I did, chief! In no time I'll be able to beat any vampire!" he answered with confidence.

Naruto gave a scoffing smile at that, but didn't comment. All the children said the same thing, in Konoha… Referring, of course, to all those nocturnal murders, aggressions and disappearances taking place in the village. All thanks to the fact that, almost every time a victim was found, the first thing you noticed would be that they had been drained of their blood. No clue had ever been found concerning the perpetrator but two bites at the root of the neck that kept coming back and that people had ended up noticing. It hadn't taken long for the superstitious to shout "vampires", and the many testimonies about the departed sighted at night hadn't helped.

As a consequence, the current fashion amongst children (and some adults) was self-defence training, the wear of crucifixes and, less frequently, of garlic.

No one even knew for how long this had been going on. In any case, several persons had ended up fleeing the village, fearing for their lives. Those that had stayed were mostly patriots, hot heads, merchants taking advantage of the situation to exhaust their stock of garlic, crucifixes and other charms, or simply those who didn't have the means to leave, or nowhere else to go.

All those cases except the crooks applied to Naruto. Konohamaru, on the other hand, was the grandson of Sarutobi, an old man so excessively attached to the almost abandoned village that Konoha was, that most called him crazy. But if you asked Naruto, he was one of the very few people deserving respect.

The young orphan wasn't sure what to think of all those vampire stories. Sometimes he liked to think he had evil and fantastic creatures for neighbours, a little like those daredevil tourists that came to settle in Konoha for the sole purpose of meeting one of the legendary creatures one day, but most of the time it was the last thing on his mind. He usually had much more pressing matters at hand. And right now, his urgent need of food came at the top of the list.

"You know…" he told his companion. "I'd love to stay with you but I'm kinda in a hurry right now… On the other hand, how about finding me something to eat? I'm starving…"

The boy looked hard at him before crossing his arms with a sullen expression.

"Yeah right…" he muttered, grouchy. "It's always when you come over that you _have_ to go to school! How are you supposed to supervise my training like that?"

"Konohamaruuuu…" Naruto implored, unable to hold back his stomach's complaints any longer. "I swear, if you ever tasted the grub at the orphanage you'd know why I need normal food so much! Now would you _please_ give me something before I really kick the bucket…"

Said boy looked him up and down, which was quite something as he was all of eight years old, as if he was giving a lot of thought to the question while his "sensei" was lamentably contorting himself in the hedge. At last he flashed him an ominous smile:

"Okay… But on one condition!"

That tone alone told Naruto that he'd better be careful but his state would not allow it…

"Yeah, yeah… What?"

Konohamaru gave a triumphant grin: "Take me with you on your next expedition!"

Naruto didn't bother thinking this through. His brain wouldn't work properly until his stomach was full anyway.

"Whatever, just give me something already…" he articulated in a pathetic voice.

Satisfied, his self-proclaimed apprentice nodded and ran to his house. Two minutes later he was back with three rice cakes.

"If you go to school today, you're gonna need all your energy, chief." he elaborated, handing over the cakes.

Naruto grabbed them and managed to make them all disappear in less than two seconds. He gave a sigh of relief:

"Now you can pride yourself on having saved a guy near death, Konohamaru…"

Said boy stared at him suspiciously: "You'd better not forget your promise, chief!"

'Oh right, drat…' Naruto thought bitterly. Taking advantage of another's weakened state was absolutely low…

"Hey, you know I never go back on my word." He said for lack of anything better, giving Konohamaru a half-hearted smile. That seemed to suffice the schoolboy.

"Okay! Good luck with the old folks at school, then!" Konohamaru added as word of encouragement.

"No worries, I've had worse."

As soon as he was far enough from the hedge though, Naruto let a grimace distort his face. He had had worse indeed. That still didn't mean he would be able to escape his punishment for being late. Because, of course, there was no way he would make it on time.

On the off chance, he took a glimpse at Tsunade's alarm clock left inside his bag: 8:43am. He sighed. He had been lucky to find Konohamaru before the boy had to go to school. That didn't help the fact that he was almost three quarters of an hour late for _his_ school already…

He put the clock back in the bag indifferently. He had never made it there on time anyway. So he took his leave at a leisurely pace. He was running just fast enough to prevent himself from thinking too hard.

* * *

Once he'd reached his destination, he studied the high walls of his school closely. Which window was his class's again?

He made a face, frowning. He couldn't even remember which lesson he was supposed to attend to. In fact, he didn't care. He would eventually find his class. All he had to do was look for Sakura.

He brightened up a little at the thought. With her strong temper, her intelligence (top of her class!) and above all her pretty face, Sakura Haruno was one of the rare reasons he went to school at all.

Well… It's not like he was anywhere near winning her affections so far… She spent most of her time calling him an idiot and hitting his head yelling at him to leave her alone. But, anxious to keep up his reputation, Naruto Uzumaki never gave up.

So he enthusiastically ran to the depot for garbage cans, made sure there were no supervisors around, and started to climb. If you asked him, the best way to start a day was to make a dramatic entrance. And since there was nothing spectacular about being late, especially for a master like him, he added the option of taking the way of the roofs.

Once on the depot's roof, he went on to the slightly taller building holding the technology, computer and plastic art rooms standing beside the depot, and jumped from one to the other, clinging on to the edges of the roof before heaving himself up onto it by leaning on the top of the window. On his way he winked at the students attending class inside, most looking at him with exasperation, the rest bursting out laughing.

Passed the covered playground linking this building to the main, he reached the leaning part of the roof and heaved himself up on it. He kept going with the same confidence using his hands and feet, sometimes ending up on all fours. At last he reached a window made in the roof and pressed himself against the pane. Biology class, he recognized. Teacher Asuma's class. Not his, then.

His disappointment was soothed by the few students who started pointing him out, some laughing openly, others crying out for their teacher. Said man raised up his eyes from the book he was reading and gave a long sigh before sending a student on who-knew-what kind of an errand. Then he went back on his lesson.

Naruto allowed himself to stay some more to make faces against the glass at the few students who kept glancing at him, some irritated, others amused. Someone made an obscene gesture at him, he answered with two, sticking his tongue out for good measure. In the end he might have kept himself busy for the rest of the morning if the student Asuma had sent earlier hadn't come back, a young dark-skinned teacher with a ponytail, a scar across his nose and a furious look following close behind…

"Oh shit…" Naruto gulped as he started to assess the little safety the separation of a pane assured.

* * *

"Anyone would think you're simply incapable of going to school in a civilized manner!" his favourite teacher repeated without tiring as he dragged him by the ear through the corridor. "Are you ever going to stop? We have little time left before the school year ends, you know! Do I really have to remind you of your latest results? If you would at least try to spend a little less time in detention and a little more in class…"

"I know, I know, I knoooow!" The tortured boy kept smiling mischievously in spite of all. "'guess I'm just, well… a very busy man! OUCH!"

"_Busy?_" his torturer cried out in exasperation when they stopped before a door. "What's keeping you so busy? Drawing graffiti on the school? Blowing up the toilets?"

"Iruka-senseiii! That was three months ago!"

"I would say that you have not made very notable resolutions after those times." the man answered as he gave the door a sharp knock to open it. "I apologize for this interruption, as it happens I had to bring back your _busy_ classmate here."

He turned back to Naruto, whom he had finally let go and who was rubbing his bruised ear: "I'll see you after class." Then he slammed the door shut and went back to his lesson.

So the boy went back to his chair grumbling, his right ear still hurting. As generous as Iruka-sensei could be when it came to free ramen, letting him off the hook for being late was another matter entirely. He would get one hour worth of detention at the very least… But it wasn't like he could ever hope for less. It had almost settled into a routine for him.

On his way to his chair, all alone in the last row, he flashed Sakura a wide grin and she answered with a glare. After that he sat, crossed his arms on his desk and nested his head in between, ready for another long day of class he'd sleep away for the most part.

'One thing must be cool about being a vampire,' he thought sarcastically, 'at least you don't have to put up with this…'


	3. By Night

**Before**** the Dawn**

Disclaimer: I suck at drawing men and backgrounds. So you can guess _Naruto_ doesn't belong to me….

Warning: …Well, it's a vampire fic. What do you expect?

Author's note: Welcome, _Dragon77_! _Midnight Mourner_ and _sherbeth19_, thanks for sticking with me! Most of all, thanks for reviewing. 8) And sorry for the two months it took to update…. I wanted to finish my latest French chapter first (because it would be kind of silly if I ran out of chapters to translate mid-way) and then the finals came up…. Only one left, then one week off. So chapter four should be up faster.

Chapter beta-read by _brumal_. Enjoy!

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* * *

My world is flooding over,_

_There's no room for air, I can't breathe,_

_I would give a kingdom for one more day _(Sonata Arctica: _Kingdom for a Heart_)

_**By Night**_

It had been over two hours since night had fallen on Konoha. In this season the sun set early. Most people had already taken care of locking themselves in, in fear of the gangs that could be lurking on every dark street corner. There were just some people coming late from work, hurrying home, and some hot heads still hanging about with a group of friends on the streets in the hopes of catching some troublemaker red-handed and teaching them a lesson; or so they could simply take advantage of their reputation to set about late passer-bys themselves. Many of them had had someone close to them become victim of the mysterious attackers.

However, everybody, gangs included, avoided Konoha's woods scrupulously.

It had been centuries since anyone had looked after that thick, disreputable place, which everyone knew was full of wolves. Those who were rational kept saying the species had been long eradicated, but no one was taken in anymore: sometimes wolves had been sighted, coming all the way to the village at night to set about unsupervised young children. Every time a victim was found, their throat was slit and they had been sucked dry of their blood.

Even the worst of the riffraff had no desire to pit themselves against vampire wolves. Moreover, none of those who had ventured into the woods, even by day, had ever returned.

As a consequence, the only ones who could go there without risk were those who were sure never to become prey. In other words, the predators themselves. And when they went, it was to hunt.

Sasuke Uchiha had been hunting that night. On all fours, surrounded by trees, blood dripping from his chin, he was panting. Not out of tiredness. It had been years since he had felt the tiring effects of effort. No. What was wearing him out was hunger.

The hunting hadn't gone badly. He had managed to catch four rabbits and a crow. His last victim lay lifeless between his hands, with its fur reddened and its throat torn to pieces. There was no blood left inside the body. It still wasn't enough….

The young boy suppressed a roar. He felt the revolting taste in his mouth, the instinctive rejection of the despicable animal blood. His body was screaming for a worthwhile meal. Rich, boiling blood, full of that vital energy he needed so much….

He shook his head. No way. He wouldn't go back. He would not drink _that person's_ blood, no matter how many times his body asked for it. He would not give in like last time….

His stomach churned at the thought and Sasuke wiped his mouth in disgust, as if the blood was still there. If only he could turn back time…. But what had been done couldn't be helped. And at this stage, nothing but human blood would do as an offset.

Sasuke stood up with a sigh and left the dead rabbit, resigned to head to the village.

'I should drop by the house, then….'

He hoped that thought would soothe his light spasms. That didn't work so well…. It had been days since he last drank human blood and his hunger was persistent. More than anything, there was always that hint of guilt, every time he went back to his former home.

He knew it was foolish, had often reprimanded himself for it. _He_ was the one who killed them all. Sasuke had nothing to do with it….

The vampire licked the blood left on his hand and made a bitter face. Who was guilty didn't matter. He would never find peace until he had avenged his people. He would always hold it against himself that he had been the sole survivor, that he couldn't do anything to help them….

"_If only you had been strong enough..."_

He shook his head for the second time. Thinking about this was the last thing he needed right now. Letting his thoughts overwhelm him would make it all the more difficult to stay in control. He had to find food… fast.

Sasuke made a dash to the village, as agile as a cat. He reached the edge of the forest in a matter of minutes and kept the same pace in the shadows of the street with silent, easy grace.

He didn't stay long in the Uchiha quarters. Hardly anyone came here and he was too hungry to remain in a deserted place. He simply made a short detour to keep his mind at ease. Not a single night went by without him dropping there at least once.

Once he had stopped a while to stare at the big mansion that had been his house, he set off again to the centre of the village and glanced at the moon. It hadn't covered a third of its journey.

'It must be sometime around eight or nine in the evening…' he estimated. 'I might still find someone suitable.'

Finally he stopped at a corner, in the shadow of a drugstore. His smell, strengthened by the hunger gnawing at him, had just noticed a human presence. He ran his eye over the streets and spotted a figure coming his way.

His muscles tensed at once and he felt his eyes turn red, but struggled to control himself. He had to make sure not to scare them. Sasuke forced himself to take a deep breath, then went out of hiding at a nonchalant pace, revealing himself in the glow of a street lamp nearby, watching the approaching person out of the corner of his eye.

They were much closer now, but didn't seem to have noticed him yet. A girl his age with shoulder-length pink hair held back by a ribbon, a bag on her back, who was striding along and grumbling, visibly in a terrible mood.

Sasuke vaguely guessed it had something to do with the reason why she was all alone outside at such an hour. He was already using all his concentration to prevent himself from leaping at this girl's throat and bleeding her dry, so he didn't give much thought to the fact that there was something strangely familiar about her….

That's when she noticed his presence at last. Her grumbling stopped altogether. She looked hard at his face, openly, her cheeks flushed, her pace slowing down without her realising.

There, the young vampire felt his tension lighten up a little, partially replaced by exasperation. Those girls always reacted in the same manner…. But he knew it would be wrong of him to complain about it. Their blood remained amongst those he liked best. It was all the better, since it was spontaneously offered….

"He...Hello!" the girl called out enthusiastically, though with remains of self-consciousness.

Sasuke stopped walking and turned her way, showing nothing but pure disdain. He knew there was no need to try hard. Vampire charms took effect on their own, out of instinct, and the strength of his hunger only made them more powerful. Plus, this girl was an easy prey….

As expected she blushed an even darker shade and stopped, frozen by his stare. She raised a hand to her mouth like she wanted to suppress an exclamation or to hide her turmoil, and kept staring at him with shining green eyes.

This reaction perplexed him a little. Had she seen his fangs? No, they weren't into the open…. He rolled his eyes. Yet another one of those shows of embarrassment then. How typical….

"Do I…know you from somewhere?" she asked uncertainly, coming closer.

That disconcerted him. But at that moment their proximity and the light coming from the street lamp exposed to his view the cheeks, pink with confusion, and the pulse pounding wildly under her throat…. He pictured the blood flow accelerating under the pressure…. He could almost see it circulate freely under the skin…. Young blood, boiling with vitality….

The long suppressed hunger swallowed him whole. In a swift motion he grabbed her firmly by the throat and opened his mouth, exposing his long white fangs and almost letting out a starving growl.

The girl's eyes widened, an obvious fear reducing her pupils into two minuscule points. Her mouth opened into a mute cry, yet she made no other attempt to slip away. She was staring at him in awe, yet the blood kept rushing to her cheeks. He could feel her pulse speed up against his palm….

That was more than he could take. He had just enough self-control left to let his irises turn scarlet, his pupils slowly divide into three and start to swirl at a furious pace, before he greedily leaned in on his victim, already feeling the taste of blood in his mouth….

"…Sasuke…kun…" the girl let out in a whisper, her eyes lost in his.

Taken by surprise, Sasuke froze midway, his fangs only centimetres away from the young girl's face as she slowly lost consciousness. But when he caught her and her throat was given up to him, he forgot all but the gnawing hunger he had to satisfy.

He did just that, biting into the neck with gusto and gluttonously absorbing the warm and slightly bitter liquid, recovering part of his senses with each gulp.

Then he thought back on the fact that she had said his name. Bit by bit, a distant memory resurfaced. A little pink-haired girl tailing him, who clung to his arm almost to the point of tearing it apart…. A girl amongst so many others who blushed like an idiot every time he bumped into her….

Sasuke stopped drinking at last, feeling a little sick at heart. Licking his lips, he straightened up and looked down at his victim. All colour had vanished from her face and a trickle of blood was dripping from the two small marks on her throat. He sighed. He couldn't even remember her name….

He raised an eyebrow when he realized that she was still breathing. So he hadn't killed her…. Sasuke found himself feeling slightly relieved at that. He could always let her live. He felt better anyway. In addition to the blood from the animals, those litres would do.

Sasuke gave another sigh as he heaved the unconscious girl effortlessly, in spite of the fact that she was hardly smaller than him. He couldn't leave her here, though. If he abandoned her to her fate, she would have little time left to live. The vampire resolved to drop her near the next lit house he would come across, to knock, and to leave. The rest had nothing to do with him. He had better things to do than take care of a girl.

* * *

Naruto was strolling through the streets of Konoha, his clasped hands supporting the back of his head as his bag bounced against his back to the rhythm of his tread. If you asked him, it had been a good day: a successful prank, a tumultuous arrival, undisturbed dozing in class, and to top it all, a two and half hour long remedial course with Sakura by way of detention.

He grinned at the memory. However often Iruka had told him he would eventually take drastic measures, he had never expected him to hire a student to tutor him after school…. He expected even less Sakura to be the lucky winner. Two and half hours alone with her, it was his dream come true! Well, Iruka had been there, too…. But still.

Mind you, it wasn't like his classmate had been particularly thrilled…. She had turned out to be downright irritable. Hot-headed indeed….

Apparently Iruka had convinced her by assuring her that it would help her own studies to give a try at tutoring and by promising remuneration. With the help of a great many entreaties, compliments on her results, and some lectures. Anyway. Long story short, it hadn't been easy for his favourite teacher, but finally Sakura had given her consent.

Naruto turned the corner, humming to himself as he happily recalled the remedial class. He didn't particularly get the impression that he'd learnt anything new, but Sakura's mere company was worth staying within the confines of a classroom…. Even though, after his third attempt at conversation, she had done little but pour out a stream of verbal and physical abuse while Iruka tried his best to calm her down. Naruto's grin widened. At least you could say that they had gotten to know each other better. In the end his only regret was not having been able to take Sakura home…. But she would probably have killed him on the way.

Out of nervous habit, he scratched the back of his head. It wouldn't be easy to erase from Sakura's mind the young offender she saw in him…. Especially when he put so much effort into reminding everyone else of said reputation. He sighed. It was hard to protect your good name, nowadays….

The sirens made him stop. Hearing them was a common occurrence in Konoha, especially by night. But it sounded like those were getting closer….

"Was someone attacked?" he asked aloud to no one in particular.

Naruto had a moment of hesitation before his curiosity took the better of him. With a smile, he rushed to the direction the noise seemed to come from. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of a vampire to top off the day?

He had to retrace his steps, but didn't run far. After crossing two streets, he caught sight of the blue and white truck stopping before a house close by. A middle aged woman threw herself in front of it, her face white with alarm. It was impossible for Naruto to get what she was saying with all the sirens wailing. He saw two men in white coats get out of the truck before it even stopped moving and rush inside the house. Two similar men followed, carrying a stretcher.

Naruto got closer. Bystanders had started to form a ring in front of the truck while two policemen were trying their best to bring them under control. Being small, Naruto easily threaded his way through. He stared at the door. The doctors came out almost instantly, two of them holding the stretcher, the other two on either side of it, exchanging instructions. Only this time there was a body lying on the stretcher. Naruto leant over slightly. Beyond all the white, he caught a glimpse of pink….

He almost choked.

"No…. That's not true…."

He dived, eluded a policeman who made a grab for him, and went straight at the stretcher. The doctors had started to haul it up into the truck.

"It just isn't true…!"

He never noticed the policeman tailing after him. He was three feet away from the doctors when one of them took sight of him. Startled, the man stood still, bringing the stretcher to an abrupt halt. Naruto stopped dead, frozen with terror.

The body lying on its back was covered by a thick white sheet which only let the head show. A pallid face, colourless lips parted in a mute cry, eyelids tightly closed in a feverish expression, two crimson scars standing out on the wan neck. But above all, Naruto saw the light pink hair framing that face. There was no mistaking it.

He was brutally brought out of his torpor when an officer took hold of him bodily and started to pull him away. The doctors were done heaving up the stretcher into the truck.

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto thrashed about like the very devil, delivering kicks and punches to the adults holding him back. He was only half aware of the orders they were screaming at him. Maybe to stay calm. He didn't care. All he saw was that ghostly, ravaged face, so full of life only minutes ago….

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

In desperation, he bit the wrist holding him captive. The officer cried out in surprise and pain, letting go for a moment. No sooner had his feet touched the ground than the boy ran with all his might after the ambulance.

Someone might have shouted at him to go back. Naruto didn't bother looking back. He was looking straight ahead, yet the road and disappearing truck were blurred. He never stopped. He knew the village like the back of his hand. Years of running had familiarized him more than enough with the roads. He didn't need to pay close attention to where he was headed. His steps lead him to the nearest hospital.

'Don't die….' he prayed, biting his bottom lip so hard it bled. 'Sakura-chan, please…. Don't die….'

* * *

Naruto raced across two streets and at last reached the tall, permanently lit building, always flooded with activity. He took the glass double door by storm, almost pulled it off its hinges when he opened it, and only stopped running once he had reached the counter of the function room and gripped it with both hands, out of breath.

"Shi… Shizune!" he shouted over the counter. For a moment he thought his throat would catch fire.

No answer. The hubbub of the hospital. He let two seconds tick by, each inspiration tearing at his throat. A very pressed for time nurse glanced at him inquiringly, but never stopped. Naruto swore and started running again, to the staircase. If she wasn't here, he should find her around room 236.

He went up two floors double time, stumbling every five steps. He sped up upon reaching the corridor. At last he caught sight of a familiar black haired figure running in the opposite direction.

"Shizune!"

The young nurse stopped with a skid and caught the trolley she had been pushing just in time before it fell and shed its contents on the floor. But she couldn't avoid Naruto, who was running so fast he couldn't stop and crashed into her. She could do nothing but control the direction of her fall, steer clear of the trolley, and fall flat on the floor under the weight of the boy.

"Na… Naruto!" she cried out in surprise and worry. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

Naruto didn't get up right away, spread over the young nurse who hadn't thought about correcting her position yet. He had trouble breathing, and had just realized that a particularly painful stitch was tearing him apart. His whole body was trembling, and the exhaustion and worry had left him near tears. Sakura's colourless face was still clear in his mind….

When she realized the state he was in, Shizune managed to suppress her emotions and gently helped him to a sitting position. She examined his face. Evidently the boy had been running for a while, and was still prone to a great agitation. She held onto his shoulders firmly, hoping this contact alone would help him calm down.

She had known Naruto for a long time. The orphan who had been in Tsunade's care since birth and whom no one had ever wanted. Shizune had been Tsunade's disciple back when she worked at the hospital, and frequently came to see her at the orphanage now that she had retired. She had often come across Naruto during those visits, and had eventually become attached to the boy, as headstrong and energetic as he was impish.

Some free meals had been enough to tame him, and he'd grown to see in her the older sister he never had, even though they couldn't see each other that much.

"Did something happen?" she asked him softly.

Brought back to the present time, Naruto stared back at her and made an attempt to speak, but stood speechless. He was still trying hard to catch his breath and clenching his fists to soothe his shivers. He took several quick inhales before having a second try:

"Sa… Sakura…chan…" Naruto articulated. "She… She is…."

A lump went up his throat and exploded there, releasing his voice:

"WHERE IS SHE?" he cried out, grabbing his friend's shoulders. "Where is she? Tell me she's okay! Please!"

Shizune was caught unawares. Sakura…? The name sounded familiar…. Oh yes, that girl Naruto kept talking about. She tensed. Did something happen to her…?

"She is…here?" She knew what that could imply….

"Yes!" Naruto started shaking her. "She has to! They brought her here! Someone has…."

He broke off. The articles he'd read, the broadcasts he'd seen, the students' conversations….Vampires, aggressions, murders…. All those victims…. Murders….

"Tell me where she is!" he implored.

"Ca…Calm down…" Shizune begged him. "I'm… sure she's alright…. Come with me, we will find her."

She stood and helped the boy back on his feet. Leaving her trolley behind, she hurried to the stairs and the function room, Naruto hot on her heels.

She went behind the counter, straight to her nearest colleague, and learnt that the hospital had just gotten a new patient. Yes, a schoolgirl. About twelve or thirteen. Was her condition critical? They didn't know. Room 105. Yes, transfusions again.

Naruto had turned pale. Shizune gave him what she hoped to be an encouraging smile, but even to her it felt forced. Without looking at her, the boy made an about-turn and rushed back to the stairs. She considered asking if visitors were allowed for the patient, but decided against it. She went after Naruto.

The boy reached room 105 in no time and pounced on the handle. It gave way without resistance. The coming and going nurses hadn't bothered locking it. The intensity of the light blinded him. Blinking at all the white, he saw….

His heart jumped all the way to his throat, and he seriously thought he was going to throw up.

Sakura was here, lying on a bed in the middle of the room. An oxygen mask covered half her face. Her sickly pale arms were jutting out over the sheet, covered in needles and band-aids. They were linked by rubber tubing to the trolleys on either side of the bed. Nurses in blue and green, each wearing a mask and gloves, were leaning over her like vultures. Fussing around her, handling various devices, occasionally glancing at the beeping graphics on a black screen. The scene looked surreal in the garish light, like a bad science-fiction movie….

Naruto showed no reaction, unable to grasp what he was seeing. When someone roughly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out of the room, he offered no resistance. Back in the corridor, he couldn't do anything but stay here motionless, staring at the door with dull eyes.

'Who did this to her?'

The question was floating in his mind, hardly noticed. It remained unanswered.

Finally he saw Shizune get out of the room. His worry came straight back, and he was about to assault the nurse with questions, when she took him aside and bent down to be at his eye level. Naruto suddenly realized she was smiling.

"They say she should pull through," she said, her voice encouraging. "She has lost a lot of blood, but we have treated worse cases. Things are going well…."

After some hesitation, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. She will be back on her feet soon."

Naruto anxiously looked up into her eyes. Her face was more relaxed, but the smile remained clumsy. Strangely enough, it did reassure him. It really looked like the Shizune he knew. His face relaxed too, and he managed to give a toothy grin in return. That seemed to relieve her.

"I think you should go home now," she said more confidently, like she had just remembered how to behave like an adult. "Tsunade will get worried. I have to go back to work…. Take care."

Then she seemed to remember the abandoned trolley, turned a little pale, and rushed back to the staircase on her clicking high heels. Naruto sniggered. Tsunade, worry? As if…. She was just waiting for his return so she could punish him after his morning prank….

As he turned to leave, he came face to face with the 105 sign. A shiver went up his spine. The thought that Sakura would recover hardly alleviated it. The unanswered question from earlier came back full force.

"Who did this to her?" he said under his breath.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto clenched his fist tightly and punched the nearest wall. He didn't spare the protesting nurses a second glance. A subdued anger was rising inside him.

Someone had attacked Sakura. Had almost killed her. And it was part his fault….

'If she hadn't stayed to give me that lesson…' Naruto thought bitterly.

That only strengthened his grudge. He was responsible too. He had to do something. That guy…. The culprit could be a vampire. It didn't matter. Naruto would hunt him down, and make him regret what he had done.

Naruto stepped out of the hospital holding his head high, resolute. No, he didn't care who or what awaited him. Whoever had done this would not get away so easily.


	4. The Heir

**Before**** the Dawn**

Disclaimer: Neither _Naruto_ nor _Naruto Shippuden_ are mine. God, I hate what the latter has turned into…. But I still enjoy the former enough to write fics about it.

Warning: More curses, some violence. The rating won't ever go further than T, though.

Author's Note: Sorry I'm late…. I forgot to take into account the fact that the chapters were getting longer. I still think I can stick to a two months gap between updates. More reviews might make me work faster…. I'm not trying to blackmail you here, but since I have more French readers waiting for me, it's only natural that I'd spend more time on the French version. I'm grateful for the favourites and alerts, but I'd really like some criticism…. (In this regard, thanks for your review, _Midnight Mourner_, I don't know where I'd be without you!)

**Please note **that for the next chapter, I'll change the name of the story for the last time. It's a bit too long as it is, and too specific compared to the French title. So I decided to simplify it: next time, look for _Before the Dawn_.

Another thing: since my updates are slow, a French reader suggested that I add a summary every chapter. It doesn't matter for now since the story has just reached the part described in the fic's summary, but should I do that for the upcoming English chapters as well?

Chapter beta-read by _brumal._ Thank you so much for taking the time to help me, regardless of the fact that you seem to have less free time on your hands lately…. I hope you pulled through.

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* * *

All the things you buried will be excavated and re-animated  
Fear the future, fear the creed,  
We all can see what's been concealed_(Sonata Arctica: _To Create a Warlike Feel_)

_**The Heir**_

Naruto took an umpteenth look out the window. The sun was still far from setting…. He glanced back at the watch that the kid before him had taken off for the test: 4:37p.m. Naruto grumbled. Another twenty three minutes before the bell…. He was sick and tired of waiting.

His eyes landed on his paper, and the boy made a face. He was well aware of the fact that he knew none of the answers, so why bother? But Iruka would not let him out with a blank sheet until the test was over…. Naruto had asked enough times in the past to know that his request would never be granted. Even though this time, it was something far more serious than his wonted boredom that made him restless.

Sakura had spent two days at the hospital already. Seeing her in that state depressed him, yet Naruto had gone to see her as often as possible. He regularly asked Shizune how his classmate was doing. And last evening, her health had suddenly deteriorated.

Naruto felt his stomach churn at the thought. Shizune had told him it had happened before; she said it was worrisome, but not alarming; the victims' state was usually unstable; the chances of recovery were still high…. Naruto was nevertheless making himself sick with worry. He was overcome by a terrible doubt: what if the vampire had come back to finish the job…?

Shizune said it was impossible. There was always a nurse keeping watch. But these were vampires they were talking about…. There was no way of telling what kind of powers they possessed. What could a human nurse do against a bloodthirsty monster?

Naruto clenched his fist. He had waited long enough. To be safe, he had asked Shizune to watch over Sakura herself this evening. Naruto would drop by to make sure everything was alright. Then he would go look for the culprit.

To make time go faster, Naruto bended down and double-checked the contents of his bag. Along with his school stuff, there was a flashlight he'd found in the orphanage's basement, his lighter, and a small stake roughly carved out of a branch. The boy nodded to himself. He had done what he could, it would have to do. All he needed were Konohamaru's crucifixes and then he would be ready.

When he wasn't at the hospital, Naruto had devoted the past two days to his expedition. First came information gathering.

Unfortunately, there were few people he could ask if, by any chance, they had any idea where he could find a vampire, preferably not too far from the house Sakura had been brought to. He had gone to the owners of the house, but didn't learn much: they had heard a knock on the door, looked through the mail slot, and found no one there but the unconscious girl. If her state was any indication, she wasn't the one who knocked….

There was no way Naruto could ask anything of Tsunade after what he'd done to the dormitory's beds. Since Shizune had merely tried to dissuade him from looking for trouble, only Iruka was left. This time he had been careful not to mention Sakura's predicament, and had simply asked where, in his opinion, there was a good chance of finding vampires. He had had to get round his teacher's immediate disapprobation, but eventually got two answers out of him.

First, there was the forest. That was to be expected. It wasn't the best place to start, though…. For one thing, it was huge, and Naruto had no way to identify the vampire he was looking for. How was he supposed to tell him apart of his kind in a nest of bloodsuckers?

For another, even someone like Naruto was aware of the danger such a venture involved. He would only go there as a last resort. However, if it turned out to be the only way to catch Sakua's torturer, he would not hesitate.

Iruka's second answer had been the Uchiha quarters.

Those were uninhabited in a good kilometre radius. A place most people avoided like the plague, and was told to be doomed. The reason behind this was the strange events that had taken place soon after the total decimation of the Uchiha clan:

Men had been sent by Konoha's demolition company to raze some buildings. The next morning, the disfigured bodies of the night watchmen had been found, along with a word written on the floor with their blood: "DISAPPEAR"

The policemen who had been dispatched for the investigation had met with the same fate. There was an identical message, except the murderer added another word: "PLEASE"

This time, no one had dared to further inquire. Three years had gone by before people started buying some buildings from the quarters, and those were always far away from the scene of the crimes. In the next three years, only some hooligan bands had gone there at night, and though there had been no murder those times, all had been sorry they had ever gone. Most had spent several days at the hospital, usually as a result of serious bleeding.

That was all Iruka had told him. Naruto pursued his lips, resolute. He estimated the Uchiha quarters to be three quarters' of an hour walk from the house Sakura had been found at. That was the most obvious place to check. Never mind the risks. He would not sit idly by while some vampire gorged him or herself on Sakura's blood. Plus, there was nothing to worry about so long as he had a crucifix….

The bell rang at last. Naruto rose at once, made a quick detour to hand his copy to Iruka and….

"Wait, Naruto."

Damn. No way was he going to detention now! He had important things to do!

He reluctantly came back to his teacher, determined to cut the conversation short and, if necessary, to flee without further ado.

Iruka waited until the last student went out, to Naruto's utter despair. All he could think about was Sakura. Finally Iruka turned to him and bowed his head slightly:

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

The boy raised his eyes to him, taken aback. He realised his teacher looked worried. What was he apologizing for…?

"Uh… Why?"

"About Sakura…."

Naruto gave a start. Then he understood. Of course someone had had to tell Iruka that Sakura wouldn't be able to go to his class…. Sooner or later, he would have heard about it….

It was Naruto's turn to bow his head. His eyebrows furrowed.

"She had a relapse…" he slurred. "Yesterday…."

"Sorry? Oh, no, don't worry. I found the time to see her at noon. Her health is stable again. The doctors told me she was entering a phase of recovery."

Naruto lifted his head at that.

"Are you sure?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes. She hasn't woken yet, and I thought she looked very pale, but the nurses are positive. Nothing can hinder her recovery anymore."

The boy stared at him awhile, seemingly reluctant to believe his ears. Then what had been weighing down on his shoulders for two whole days lightened at last. He beamed. Sakura was pulling through! He had been fretting himself for two days straight, but she would be okay!

…No, Naruto thought. Not yet. The vampire was still loose. If it decided to come back to her, it might kill her this time. Naruto couldn't let his guard down so long as the risk remained….

"What I'm trying to say is," Iruka went on, reminding Naruto of his presence. "This probably upset you greatly…. Please forgive me."

Naruto blinked, disconcerted. He still didn't get what his teacher was apologizing for….

"I know that's where you went when you ditched class," Iruka added without the slightest hint of reproach. "You must have been really worried…. But there's one thing I want to tell you, Naruto: you're not responsible of what happened. Don't distress."

Naruto gaped. How had he guessed…? He bit his lip. Iruka had always been rather good at reading him….

"But…." Naruto pulled a sour face. "If she hadn't stayed to…."

"It was _not_ your fault," Iruka insisted, completely serious. "If there's anyone to blame, that would be me…. I was the one who made the two of you stay, even though everyone knows Konoha isn't safe at night. I wish I had been more careful…."

"What… No!" Naruto interrupted him. "You couldn't have known this was going to happen…."

"Neither could you. So don't blame yourself. If you have to hold a grudge, you can blame me. I would understand. But I don't want you to blame yourself."

Naruto stared at him for a while. He gave an uncertain smile. He was glad that Iruka cared about him…. Yet the boy found it hard not to feel guilty. However, blaming his teacher was out of the question. He wasn't responsible in any way….

Naruto thought about the vampire. No…. In the end, there was only one person to blame.

"Okay." His smile turned grateful. "Thanks, sensei."

Iruka smiled back. A rather awkward silence settled itself.

"It's still early…." Iruka pointed out at last. "However, if you like, you can meet me at Ichiraku's at 7 p.m., after you've paid a visit to the hospital."

Naruto gaped at him, before his face broke into a grin and he literally bounced:

"YAAAAY! RAMEN!"

* * *

It was sometime after 9 p.m. The night had fallen a little less than two hours ago, but Konohamaru's street was well lit. Naruto had no trouble finding the house and the hole in the hedge. He let his flashlight through, lit it up thrice, took it back, and stuck his head through. A single signal answered him from a window on the second floor.

With a satisfied smile, Naruto waited patiently for the child to join him. It took him a good ten minutes. Konohamaru was always excessively cautious before an expedition…. All the same, he reached Naruto, throwing glances behind his shoulder every now and again.

"Alright," he whispered to him. "Grandpa hasn't spotted me."

"Great. You got the crucifixes?"

His accomplice gave a gap-toothed grin and proudly held out two small gold-plated crosses hanging from two silvery chains.

"I swiped them from grandpa's storeroom!" he said, throwing out his small chest. "It wasn't easy, but when you're as good as me…"

"Yeah, yeah…." Naruto cut him off, in a hurry to get this over with. "Thanks a lot. I'll give them back once I've completed my mission…"

But Konohamaru was shaking his head, looking impish.

"No, no, chief…. No need for that."

"What?"

Just then, taken aback, Naruto noticed the backpack his self-proclaimed disciple was carrying. And that said disciple was worming his way into the hedge.

"Wait…. What do you think you're doing?" Naruto asked, panic stricken. "Hey, you know the old man is going to kill me if he finds out…."

"He won't," Konohamaru sulked. "You promised to take me with you, remember? Or are you going to go back on your word?"

Naruto was about to retort, but found nothing to say. Piqued, he let his shoulders drop and glared at the tiny figure as it resumed crossing the plant obstacle. Upon seeing his expression, Konohamaru grinned in triumph.

"Great! So, here's your crucifix, here's mine, and here we go vampire hunting!"

"You're equipped?" Naruto asked, still scowling. "You'll just be in the way…."

"Will not!" Konohamaru showed the contents of his bag. "Look, I even got a stake and garlic!"

Naruto examined them. A small fence stake was jutting out above a bunch of charms, next to a bright red flashlight.

"I took it from the Inuzuka's garden while they fixed the fence!" the child explained proudly. "And the dogs almost ate me alive!"

"Are you sure that's garlic?" Naruto asked, looking suspiciously at the three dark vegetables. "Isn't it supposed to be white?"

"It's just the skin that's brown," Konohamaru answered, peeling some of the plant with a nail to prove his point. "'course it's garlic, what else?"

Naruto shrugged, doubtful. He squinted in the dark. The garlic he saw on sale everywhere didn't quite look like that…. But then again, as long as they had the crucifixes, it wasn't that important.

"Ok then…." He put the chain round his neck. "Here we go!"

* * *

"Say, chief…." Konohamaru hesitated. "Is that… the Uchiha quarters?"

Naruto nodded. Even by day, he hadn't gone often to that part of the village. It was a tad too sinister for him….

By night, it was downright shabby. No one had bothered to look after the buildings in years, and it was starting to show. The vegetation was growing thick around them, parts of their roofs had been ripped off by vandals, graffiti adorned the walls, and several shutters were hanging pitifully from their one remaining hinge.

These were so many damages made by day, which the perpetrators paid the consequences for once the night had fallen, according to the legend. Even if they didn't remain on the scene during the night.

Naturally, none of the street lamps was working. Naruto lit his flashlight and went a little deeper in the darkness, the light guiding him. Konohamaru followed suit, though he suddenly looked a lot less confident.

"Chief…." he whispered, and his voice quivered a little. "Are you sure… it's a good idea?"

"We have no choice," Naruto grumbled. "Vampires only come out at night. And if we have crucifixes they can't hurt us anyway. If you're scared, just go back."

"I'm not scared!" the indignant boy answered, his voice a pitch too high. He put his hand to his neck to make sure the crucifix was still there and inched closer to the older boy. Just in case.

Naruto himself was trying to look more confident than he felt. Those dilapidated streets plunged in darkness gave him the creeps. The farther he walked, the more the crucifix and stake he'd brought seemed ridiculous and insignificant compared to what he was going up against….

He bit his bottom lip hard, and recalled the memory of Sakura lying on her hospital bed. His determination came straight back. He had no right to let her suffer like this a second time. She was recovering at last; Naruto had to render her attacker harmless for good.

They came across a building more imposing than the others and stopped. Naruto lifted his light to examine it in detail. There was no graffiti on the walls, and aside from two broken windows, it looked in rather good condition….

The teen gave a start. For a moment, he could have sworn he'd seen….

"Konohamaru, lower your light."

"Uh? Why?"

"Just do it!" Naruto hurried him.

Konohamaru complied, Naruto did the same. Here…. There was a glow emanating from a window far on the right.

Naruto felt his heartbeat speed up. Was someone inside…? He pursed his lips. No choice but to give it a whirl.

"Let's go, Konohamaru."

"Wha… What? We're going… in there?" The child's voice was getting higher and higher pitched.

"Of course! We have to find that vampire."

Konohamaru was looking more and more ill at ease. Regardless, he followed the older boy, who was already pushing the sliding door.

At first he saw nothing at all. He pointed his light at the inside, revealing two yellow eyes glaring at him. A row of sharp fangs…

"WATCH OUT!" he leapt to the side, dragging Konohamaru with him.

The thing had leaped about. Naruto couldn't dodge it completely. A hard body hit his arm, making him cry out in pain and let go of the flashlight. The last thing he saw before it went out was a storm of grey fur and a gaping mouth.

"Ch…Chief!"

Konohamaru's light was switched on, and Naruto was able to see again. The child was only three feet away, on all fours, holding his flashlight in a shaking hand as he stared back at him in terror. Naruto turned round. He barely had enough time to see the creature rushing at him.

'A wolf,' he realized just before the animal pinned him against the floor.

Yelling his lungs out, he raised his arms before his face out of reflex. Strong fangs sunk in his right arm, shook it hard, and extracted more cries.

"Stop it."

The wolf froze, without loosening its hold.

"Let him go."

The animal hesitated, then let go of the mishandled arm and moved away from the teen. Naruto stayed still a while, clinging to his arm as he winced in pain. Still shaking, he made an effort to sit up and look where the voice had come from.

Konohamaru's frozen light wasn't directly pointed at it, but made the scene perfectly visible nonetheless. The wolf was walking away at a leisurely pace. It stopped at the side of a young pale boy, who laid a hand on its head, like a master would to a dog.

Naruto's eyes widened. That guy was his age! …Or looked it, he corrected immediately. Vampires never grew, everyone knew that. He was slightly taller than him, with weird long black hair standing up in the back of his head, a little like some birds' feathers. He had a pointed, incredibly pale face, which made the black of his eyes stand out as they calmly stared at the wolf. They turned to glare at him.

"I'd like to know what you're doing here," he said, his voice deep with suppressed anger.

Naruto almost forgot the pain at that.

"That's my line!" he replied heatedly. "These quarters are abandoned, we have a right to come here!"

"No, you don't," the other boy answered quietly despite his openly disdainful stare. As he spoke, Naruto saw two sharp teeth peeping out from under his upper lip. "This place has seen the blood of a whole clan being shed. Don't you feel any remorse at desecrating it?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. This guy was asking _them_ if they had respect for the dead?

"Uh…."

It took him a while to pull himself together. Then he exploded:

"You can talk! You're a vampire, right? You killed all those people who came here!"

"First off, quit shouting, it really gets on my nerves," the young boy cut him off curtly as the wolf growled threateningly at his side. "Second, I didn't kill those idiots, even though sometimes I feel that it wouldn't be such a bad thing. And third, I'm just protecting what is rightfully mine."

"So you're saying all these quarters are yours?" Naruto asked with a sarcastic smirk, which the pain turned into a grimace.

The vampire eyed him defiantly: "I'm the sole heir of the Uchiha."

For a moment Naruto thought he'd felt a note of bitterness in his words, but didn't give it a second thought.

"The heir…?"

Clutching at his arm, he tried hard to collect his memories. What had he heard about the Uchiha case? No survivors had been found, of that he was certain. And the whole clan used to live in these quarters…. Then he remembered. No survivors had been found, but two persons were missing…. What were their names…?

"So…" Naruto said slowly. "You're an Uchiha…."

That could explain some things. But if this guy was a vampire, that meant he was dead, right? He couldn't really call himself an heir….

"Get out of here," the self-proclaimed heir said. "I have no time to waste with you."

This brought Naruto back to the point of his expedition. He stood up, straightening as much as possible despite his wound, and glared defiantly at the vampire.

"Not until I've straightened things out," he growled. "Were you the one who attacked Sakura-chan?"

"Sakura…?"

The vampire seemed taken aback, which looked rather strange on his face. His widened eyes made it really hard to find him threatening. He seemed to ponder for a while, as if he was trying to remember something….

"Sakura… Haruno?" he said hesitantly, more to himself than to Naruto.

This was more than enough.

"IT WAS YOU!" Naruto rushed forward, aimed with his left fist… but hit nothing.

'What?'

Unable to stop, he tripped, made an attempt to land, but leaned against his wound. With a cry of pain, he fell flat on the floor in a chorus of swears. The wolf hadn't moved, but was baring its fangs at him, its ears flattened. Naruto heard a snigger behind him.

"Next time, think before acting, _dobe_."

More than the fact that the voice had come from an unexpected direction and was openly mocking him, it was the last word that held his attention….

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?" he turned round, but whatever else he'd planned to yell died on his lips.

The black haired boy was standing several feet away, holding Konohamaru close to his chest, one long, incredibly sharp nail pressed against the child's throat.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto shouted, panic stricken. He got up with difficulty.

"You're lucky," the vampire said matter-of-factly as he pressed his nail deeper against the petrified boy's throat, "I'm not allowed to hurt you. However, there's nothing stopping me from severing that one's head if you don't kindly clear off…."

"Let him go right now, or else…."

"Or else what?" the vampire asked, letting his nail sink into the skin. A bead of blood formed, making Konohamaru cry out in pain.

Naruto froze, and the vampire suspended the motion. The human boy clenched his teeth. Things weren't looking good…. If he moved any closer, this guy would definitely not hesitate to suck Konohamaru dry…. But he couldn't give up so easily…!

The light pain seemed to bring the child back to his senses. With a rebel jerk, he plunged his hand into his collar, took the crucifix out…

"Take that!"

And slapped it on the arm holding him captive.

…Nothing happened. The vampire gave him a startled look. His lips formed a slow smirk.

"So you're still using those things?" he said as he let his fist fall on Konohamaru's skull. "Ridiculous…."

"KONOHAMARU!"

No sooner had the punch hit his head than the child had collapsed. He was now completely still, his head hanging low. The flashlight he had been clutching all this time slipped down and rolled on the floor, throwing its light at random directions.

"You're going to pay for this!"

Naruto charged, but the massive shape of the wolf came between, crouched down, ready to leap. With another swear, Naruto stopped.

"I just knocked him out," the vampire sighed in annoyance. "Get out and I'll give him back to you. I don't care how, drag him away from here with your left arm, you deal with it. Just disappear."

Naruto frowned at him. What could he do? One wrong move and Konohamaru was dead…. Why was the crucifix not working…?

"And then you'll go back to finish Sakura-chan off, right?" he growled.

"I don't give a damn about that girl. Just clear off. And another thing: don't ever come back, or I won't hesitate to kill that kid. Wherever he is."

The boy clenched his fist, but found nothing to retort. He had no choice….

"Alright, bastard," he said between his teeth. "But don't you dare touch Konohamaru."

The vampire just nodded his head in the direction of the door in reply. Naruto walked to it, never taking his eyes off the vampire boy and the wolf. He crossed the threshold.

"Turn around," the vampire commanded.

"Wait! What about Konohamaru?"

"I said: _turn around,_" the creature repeated, screwing up its eyes.

Almost despite himself, Naruto complied… and came face to face with the vampire, still holding the unconscious boy along with the two flashlights. He literally jumped out of surprise, while the creature merely put its load down on the floor.

"Now leave," he said, standing up. Then he vanished.

Naruto started and turned round. The door was closed. He hurriedly kneeled down to Konohamaru's side. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief. Aside from a lump forming on his skull and the small cut on his neck, the child looked alright. Even the flashlights had been left on. You might almost think nothing had happened….

The burning pain in his right arm reminded Naruto that something had unquestionably happened. The teen grimaced. He had failed. In the end, he couldn't do anything….

Just then something came back to him. A detail that had been bothering him before this expedition even started. To be sure, he opened Konohamaru's bag and took a look at the vegetables the child had taken along. Several of them had been half crushed. The smell hit him at full blast, and he recalled at last what it really was: an onion's. He swore one last time. That didn't explain why the crucifix hadn't worked….

With difficulty, Naruto put the handle of one of the flashlights in his mouth, lifted Konohamaru and the other light with his left arm, and set off. He cast one sole glance over his shoulder. The glow he had glimpsed was still there…. In fact, it looked like several flickering lights. Like candles….

'What's he up to?'

Naruto dismissed the thought with a shake of the head and carried on walking, the flashlight stuck between his teeth and guiding him in the dark. He hurt everywhere and sleep was creeping over him, but he felt just as determined. Maybe more.

He bit down deeper into the plastic, ignoring the protest of his gums. This guy, that Uchiha or whatever he was, had already hurt two of the very few people Naruto liked in this damn village…. No way was he giving up on tracking him down.

And there was another thing, Naruto recalled with perplexity. That vampire had said strange things…._ "I'm not allowed to hurt you."_ What was that supposed to mean? If half the things Naruto had heard were true, this guy had never hesitated to send intruders to the hospital, and was possibly the one who murdered the night watchmen and investigators six years ago…. Not to mention he had attacked Sakura and Konohamaru without scruples. For what kind of reason could he "not have the right" to hurt him, Naruto?

'I don't even know this guy….' he pondered. 'But it looks like he has at least heard about me…. What does that mean?'

Naruto smiled defiantly around the handle. One more reason to carry on investigating. It looked like this vampire teen had some sort of connection with him. He would find out what.

* * *

Konohamaru slowly opened his eyes. Never before had this effort seemed so difficult…. A moan went past his lips. He had a terrible headache…. Had he banged his head…?

His eyes met the ceiling of his room, dimly lit by the street lamp some feet away from his window. The boy stared at it for a while, a little dazed. Had he knocked himself out on his way to bed? Rubbish. Only an idiot would do something like that. Especially the day before an important mission…. Wait a minute….

No. The mission had already happened. He had followed Naruto to the Uchiha manor… and they had found the vampire.

A shiver ran through his body. Konohamaru sat up at once and felt his throat in worry. His heart missed a beat when he found a dressing. Then he remembered the vampire's claw. To be sure, he touched his teeth. They were normal.

Sighing in relief, the child let himself fall back on his bed. He was dying to find Naruto and ask him what had happened, but if he had taken him back home, his grandfather was probably extra vigilant now.

And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was scared. The titanic strength of the vampire and the freezing touch of his skin were still fresh in his memory…. He shivered. How had Naruto gotten rid of it? Konohamaru remembered that the crucifix hadn't worked…. How was that possible…?

"My oh my! You sure are a heavy sleeper!" a small voice giggled.

Suddenly the child was bathing in a cold sweat. He caught a movement on his right and slowly turned his head, the beating of his pulse against his throat threatening to choke him.

There was a small girl sitting on the back of his chair, her hands gripping its edges on either side of her body as she swung her legs. Her white round face had sprouted two straight bunches in the dim light, and was giving a big toothy grin, letting two sharp canines show. When their eyes met, the grin widened some more:

"Hi, Konohamaru-kun!"

He screamed, yet no sound left his mouth.


	5. A Way to Them

**Before**** the Dawn**

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine: I'm borrowing them to write an amateurish, non-lucrative vampire story about them. Bite me.

Warnings: Yet again, curses. Those are surprisingly hard to translate, by the way.

Author's note: I'm four days late, I guess that's reasonable enough since finals are coming... But two months _is_ a long time, so I'll add a summary for every chapter from now on, to spare you the trouble of rereading. _brumal, MidnightMourner _and_ NoNoWriter_ have my eternal gratitude for their reviews. I sure hope I won't disappoint you...

Summary: Naruto's investigation leads him to the Uchiha manor, where he finds Sakura's attacker. The vampire seems reluctant to harm Naruto, but takes Konohamaru hostage, and Naruto, unable to fight back, has to leave the manor. Back in his room, Konohamaru wakes to the sight of a small vampire girl grinning at him.

Chapter beta-read by _brumal._ Many thanks for the feedback! …And sorry I couldn't follow all your advice. I'm always torn between staying close to the original version and making it better literary wise... I'm trying my best, I swear!

_

* * *

Are you ready to walk the forbidden road?_

_Learn again what we tried to forget_

_The dark can now take over you _(Sonata Arctica: _Ain't Your Fairy Tale_)

_**A Way to them**_

"..."

Sniff.

"…hm…" Sniff. "…a..."

"…a…aAAAA-CHOO!"

The teenager blinked sleepily. A flight of white feathers was dancing before his eyes…. And his nose tickled terribly...

"Ah." Naruto sighed, pulling a face.

He remembered now. After the firecrackers' trick, his roommates had decided to take revenge and devastated his mattress through stabbing with scissors... Hence why Naruto had had no choice but to sleep fully clothed in a nest of sorts he had made out of the feathers of the former mattress, crammed into his blanket. Not that uncomfortable after all, even though his companions in misfortune had a tad too much of a tendency to tease his nose for his taste...

A roommate who had yet to get up sniggered at him, but Naruto ignored him and buried himself under the feathers with a resounding yawn. Right now the state of his bed was the next to last of his concerns, and the presence of the other orphan was his last. Naruto had much more important matters to worry about.

Sakura was still hospitalized. And there was Konohamaru, whom he had brought back home in a sorry state. At least he had made it there after Sarutobi had gone to bed... Oh, and Tsunade, who had been driven up the walls upon seeing his wound. She had only deigned to treat it after a memorable outburst... And of course, there was the vampire Naruto had yet to defeat...

However, for the time being, the fact that he had had to go to bed at one in the morning with a shredded arm and feathers in his ears made the top of the list, and getting up now was out of the question. While he finished his eight hours' sleep, orphanage directors, school and vampires alike could get stuffed.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Said boy groaned. Looks like an idiot had missed the point. He would just ignore him and...

"Get your ass in gear, you're wanted on the phone!"

"Piss off..." Naruto yawned.

There was a pause. Then a snigger.

"You think I have nothing better to do..."

The next moment something hard and very painful was knocked into his back. Naruto yelped, fully awake. He glared daggers at his attacker through the fluttering feathers, but the other boy just gave him a superior smirk and showed the door with a nod.

"Personally, I don't give a shit if you miss all the calls from your stupid penbuddies, I just want Tsunade-sama off my back. Are you going or what? Want me to kick you there?" he asked, and raised his foot again threateningly.

Naruto showed him the finger but resigned himself to pack and get out of the room, grumbling all the way. They wouldn't let him go back to sleep anyway...

'Maybe they would leave me alone if I slept rough...' he thought, barely ironical.

It wasn't the first time he considered it. Even though she could be surprisingly kind at times, Tsunade the Lush wasn't exactly what you'd call the ideal caretaker for thirteen-years-olds, and moreover, the orphanage turned more unbearable with every coming day... Granted, Naruto's pranks and the enemies he kept making because of them may have to do with it... But there was no doubt about it: he preferred that over being constantly ignored.

The boy tried to rid his mind of those thoughts. That brought him back to why he had gotten up in the first place. Someone had given him a call. He raised an eyebrow. That was weird... Ever since Iruka had realized that Naruto was almost never at the orphanage when he skipped school, no one ever called him. Intrigued, he started to walk faster, pondering. With all the work she had, he doubted Shizune would have found the time to call. Unless it was urgent... His heart missed a beat. News of Sakura? He sped up.

"Here, kid," the director's voice stopped him.

Naruto held out his hand.

"Good morning to you, too," grumbled Tsunade as she half-heartedly laid the receiver in his waiting hand. "From what I've heard, it's urgent."

Naruto clearly heard the sarcasm in her voice. Had it been Shizune breaking bad news, she would probably have taken it a little more seriously... But then again, you could never be sure with Tsunade. Naruto anxiously raised the receiver to his ear and announced himself.

"Chief..." a small voice answered on the other line. Naruto started.

"Konohamaru! You okay?" he inquired, remembering the state he had left him in the night before.

"I... Yes... Err..."

The teen frowned. Konohamaru didn't sound very confident... That was unlike him.

"You sure?" he asked, sceptical.

"Yes, yes... It's just... Well..."

There was silence, and then the voice spoke again, urgently:

"Listen, chief! You really have to come over tonight! You get it? It's very, very important... We really have to talk, I found out something..."

"Wait, wait!" Naruto tried to make him calm down, feeling more and more confused. "What are you talking about? Why do I need to come in the middle of the night?"

"You _have_ to come! I, I... I can't do it alone! Well, maybe, but... No, I don't know what to do... She's one of them... But... So, you see, you have to come. You get it, right?"

"No, I don't get it!" Naruto answered, aggravated. "Who or what are you talking about? How am I supposed to help if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"I'll be before the hedge at 10. She said it should be fine... You'll be there, right?"

"Konohamaru..."

"Gramps is coming! I gotta go!"

"What? Wait! What's..."

All the answer he got was a steady beeping. Naruto swore and hung up, taking it out on the unfortunate phone. He glared at it for a while, hoping it would either combust or tell him what the deal was.

What had Konohamaru tried to tell him? He had never sounded this disorientated before... Was it the shock from the night before? Naruto shook his head. Konohamaru was just a brat, but he was stronger than that. Then what? Did something else happen...?

Naruto buried his face in his hands and rubbed at his temples. Too much thinking gave him a headache... He really should have slept more... The boy sighed. What would be the point anyway? The best way to find out was to see for himself.

That settled, he gave a thoughtful look to his surroundings. 10pm... What should he do in the meantime?

His stomach gave him the answer, and Naruto rushed out to find breakfast. He would also make a visit to the hospital. And then, maybe he would drop by school, to please Iruka...

* * *

Twenty one hours fifty seven minutes and eighteen seconds... Twenty one hours fifty seven minutes and nineteen seconds... Twenty one hours fifty seven minutes and twenty sec...

An inarticulate mumble escaped Naruto's lips, and the boy held his head with both hands. Tsunade's alarm clock fell on the floor with a muted sound.

That was _enough._ Just because he was a tiny quarters early, did Konohamaru have to leave him hanging about in front of that stupid hedge until 10 on the dot? Here was a basic fact his so-called disciple should have taken in long ago: Naruto Uzumaki couldn't stand waiting.

He crossed his arms and pulled a face, his back leaning on the hedge's thick foliage. This wouldn't have happened if they had taken the time to agree on a signal. But no, the brat had had to hang up straight off, he who usually jumped at any opportunity to use "professional" tactics. To think that for once, this kind of measure could have actually come in handy...

Naruto sniffed disdainfully and took a suspicious look at his surroundings. Ever since he had arrived, he hadn't been able to shake off that bothersome feeling of being watched. But no one was there...

The teen frowned. Was Konohamaru lying in ambush somewhere, hoping to surprise him? He shrugged at the thought. Yeah right... It wouldn't be a first, but the brat had absolutely no talent for discretion. Naruto always flushed him out before he could so much as consider getting out of his hiding spot. But who could it be, if not the kid?

"Chief?"

Naruto gave such a great start he lost his balance and fell backwards, head-first in the hedge.

"Ko...Konohamaru!" he exclaimed, spitting leaves at his disciple. "Don't come near me like that, without saying anything! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Shhhh!" the child extricated himself from the hedge, a finger to his lips. "Not so loud; Gramps is gonna hear..."

"Screw the old man." Naruto lowered his voice nonetheless as he stood up and rubbed at his sore nape. "Let's get this over with: what was this important thing you wanted to tell me?"

Konohamaru seemed taken aback. He looked about him anxiously, and gave the older boy a puzzled stare:

"She…isn't here yet?"

"Who?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"Hello!"

The teen started, turned round... and came face to face with an upside-down round head sprouting twin bunches, and a toothy, sharp grin.

"GAHK!" Naruto leaped back, alarmed.

A little girl in medieval clothes was hanging by the legs from the branch of a nearby tree, both hands slapped over her dress to prevent it from revealing anything but an overhanging white underskirt. She was staring at the two boys, her smile unwavering, big brown eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Who... Who the hell are _you?_" Naruto asked, pointing at the girl with an accusing finger.

"I'm Moegi," she answered, and her grin widened in the process. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto-niisan!"

Naruto gulped. What kind of...joke was that? Some sort of miniature vampire came out of nowhere, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and...

"Hey... How do you know my name?" he asked cautiously. If only he had some garlic...

"Konohamaru-kun told me, of course!" Moegi giggled. She seemed to find the situation very amusing. "He told me you were the leader of the expedition at Sasuke-sama's house. You must be super strong!"

Naruto stared at her wide-eyed, and slowly turned to Konohamaru. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Konohamaru..." he said in a toneless voice. "You know this girl?"

The child started at the call of his name.

"I... Err... no... She just...came over...yesterday," he hesitated, visibly ill at ease.

Moegi chuckled. "Come on! Let's play!"

With that, she made a pirouette and landed with a deftness her childish physique gave no inkling of. Naruto took an instinctive step back, and Konohamaru took refuge behind him. The little girl tilted her head in a confused expression. Her smile came back.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to bite you!" she said cheerfully. "I ate yesterday... Tonight, I want to play!" she added with a twirl that made her dress flutter about her.

Naruto stared hard at her, uncertain. She didn't look dangerous... But she still was a vampire. He didn't feel too keen on finding out how vampires "played," and he certainly hadn't come for that. How had that girl gotten here anyway? She had mentioned an expedition at... whose place?

"What expedition were you talking about just now?" he asked cautiously.

"The Uchiha manor..." Konohamaru whispered to his back. "She said she had heard about it..."

"Of course!" Moegi clapped her hands and Konohamaru went back to making himself as inconspicuous as possible. "When Sasuke-sama came back yesterday, he was mumbling things about stupid humans who thought his manor was a museum! So I asked him if he had killed anyone this time, and then he said he would have loved to but couldn't, and I thought you must be really strong! So I asked him where I could find you and at one point he told me where Konohamaru-kun lived on the condition that I leave him alone afterwards. So I came!"

Naruto blinked. She had said all this in one breath and he had had trouble following... But she did clearly mention the Uchiha manor. And that meant...

"Sasuke...?" he repeated absentmindedly.

"Yes, Sasuke Uchiha!" Moegi nodded vigorously. "The master of the Uchiha manor!"

The vampire from the previous night sprang to mind. Along with a piece of news he had seen six years ago. Two pictures behind the newscaster, one of a little boy with spiky black hair. Underneath, in block capitals, you could read: "MISSING: SASUKE UCHIHA" Naruto couldn't remember the other picture...

'So it was him...' he thought, satisfied. That was one mystery solved.

"You know this guy?" he asked the vampire girl, feeling some enthusiasm rush back. Maybe she could be of some use after all...

"Of course!" Moegi answered right away. "He's very young, but Sasuke-sama is really strong! What's more, he's beautiful..." she added in a dreamy voice.

"Do you know where to find him?" Naruto interrupted her.

Moegi blinked.

"Aside from the Uchiha manor, you mean?"

As she said that, another smile cut her face in two. A smile much more vampire looking than her previous ones.

"I could take you..." she said slowly, seeming to consider. "...but you'll have to cross the forest!"

With that, she gave a crystalline laugh and went back to perch on her tree in a graceful leap, landing in a sitting position across the branch.

"You still want to go?" she asked, tilting her head.

Naruto didn't hesitate:

"Of course I'll go! I have a score to settle with that guy!"

The small vampire looked at him intensely, examined him with her big dark eyes. Naruto held her gaze. He knew that no one had ever come back from the forest. But no one ever had a vampire to escort them... He wouldn't let this chance go by.

"You want to go..." Moegi repeated pensively. "To challenge Sasuke-sama..."

Her grin went back, her fangs shining in the moonlight.

"You're very brave, for a human," she said approvingly, clapping her hands. "It's like in books!"

She leaned over on her branch, intending to dominate them from her height.

"I'll take you..." she said, suddenly serious. "But you'll have to be very, very careful..."

She looked over her shoulder, seeming to fear that someone might be spying on them, before turning back to them:

"There's a monster in the forest." she whispered. "For now, I think it's gone, but you never know when it comes back... You must not make too much noise. It has a very keen sense of hearing, much keener than its sense of smell... So, be careful."

Naruto looked up at her, confused. She looked truly anxious... And he didn't understand why. What kind of monster could seem dangerous to a vampire? He felt a shiver run up his spine that had nothing to do with the cold...

The teen shook himself. He wouldn't go back. He never did.

"I'm not afraid," Naruto said with a defiant look and a smile that could rival the vampire's. He would show them.

"And... me neither!" a slightly too high-pitched voice added.

Naruto looked down. Konohamaru had stepped forward and stood as straight as he could, thrusting out his chest with a determined look on his face. Even though he still had trouble to suppress his shivers... Naruto grinned down at him:

"I expected no less of you."

The kid looked back at him, hesitated, and then gave a gap-toothed grin in answer. He looked more confident.

Moegi looked at them both. With a cry of delight, she jumped off her branch:

"Great! No one can stop the three of us!"

Naruto hesitated at that, one eyebrow raised. Could he trust a vampire?

The teen looked hard at her. He recalled her deliberate proposition, the worry he had seen that hadn't altered her decision, her enthusiasm... Naruto gave a hesitant smile. To be honest, he rather liked her... Plus, vampire or not, she was only a little girl, hardly older than Konohamaru.

"You said it!" he approved, all uneasiness gone.

* * *

Naruto gulped. This wasn't the first time he saw the edge of the forest, even by night, but... Knowing he would have to enter it this time made all the difference. The tall, old trees looked darker, their shape spookier. There was no path to be seen between them. After the third tree was an endless night...

"Is it... a big forest?" he asked in what he hoped to be a detached tone.

"Very!" Moegi answered proudly. "But we only need to cross half of it. Don't dawdle and we'll be fine."

She giggled and leaped on the branch of a nearby tree.

"That is, if you can keep up with me!" she added impishly.

"What do you take me for?" Naruto asked, offended. "If it's a race you want, I had occasions to train, you know!"

Every time he had to escape from Tsunade, the supervisors from school, Iruka, the baker...

"There's no way a girl can beat us anyway!" Konohamaru added, seemingly cured from all anxiety.

Said girl smiled in a mix of satisfaction and challenge, before a more serious air took over her features.

"Don't forget, though: don't make a sound. My friends will warn me if something comes up, but we'd better be careful. Just follow me. If you have to talk, whisper."

The two humans exchanged a glance before nodding their assent. This seemed to satisfy Moegi, who jumped off her branch and darted straight into the darkness of the woods, her white underskirt flying around her naked legs as she ran, weaving in and out of the trees.

"Hey, wait up!" Naruto yelled in a panic and rushed after her, Konohamaru hot on his heels. He had never imagined she could be so fast...

They disappeared farther and farther into the forest, Moegi's small figure barely visible before them as they went on blindly, stumbling and bumping into trees. They often lost sight of the vampire, but she always reappeared in the blink of an eye, perched on a nearby tree. She would smile, tell them in a low voice to hurry, and set off again.

On several occasions, Naruto thought he'd felt movements around them. Branches crackling or noises an animal would make. Once or twice, he glimpsed glowing eyes glaring at them in the darkness, that disappeared as soon as he tried to look harder... or maybe it was just him, he thought every time, and kept running, a little faster than before...

Tiredness was getting to him already. He had got shooting pains in his legs, hurt everywhere after his many falls, and felt the dirt weighing down on his clothes and burning scratches on his limbs. Nothing his determination couldn't overtake. However, Konohamaru had real troubles keeping up. He had only suggested to go back twice, but Naruto knew it took much for the child to even dare utter such a thing. To complete a "mission" was a matter of honour to him, especially if vampires were involved.

Naruto had held out in spite of everything. He had the occasion at last to go to the very heart of the vampires' lair, where no one could ever go. Chickening out was out of the question. Yet an inner voice kept repeating that he should never have brought Konohamaru along, not in something so dangerous...

He glanced at him over his shoulder. It was hard to make out anything in this darkness, but he took a glimpse of a face reddened by effort moving steadily at his side. In a flash, Naruto saw Sakura lying on her hospital bed. An unconscious Konohamaru in the clutches of the vampire. He felt a pang of anguish.

"Moegi..." he called in a whisper. "...Can you hear me?"

"What is it?" he heard the small voice answer just as quietly.

Naruto hesitated, looking at her leaping figure, the white underskirt outlined against the darkness. Could he really trust her?

'I don't have much of a choice anymore...' he thought bitterly, cursing his stupidity.

"...Protect Konohamaru," he whispered at last, in a firm voice. "I might not be able to do it myself... So, protect him."

He hated to ask that kind of thing, especially of someone he hardly knew, but he knew he had to. Naruto didn't want the events at the Uchiha manor to repeat themselves, and Moegi was his last resort...

The vampire didn't answer straight away. Naruto couldn't see her, yet he felt her stare at him over her shoulder.

"Okay," she said at last.

Naruto was a little disconcerted by the simplicity of her answer. Was she even taking his request seriously? He half smiled. At least she had agreed. This once, he would trust her.

They kept running for a good thirty minutes, until Konohamaru all but collapsed against a trunk, wheezing. Naruto reluctantly stopped, even though he could feel the lingering intensity of his own tiredness.

"Want to take another break?" he whispered, a little worried to see his disciple in that state.

"I can't... take it... anymore... Chief..." the child panted, shaking violently. It could be due either to exhaustion, or the cold. Or fear. Naruto bit his lip. What had he been thinking, letting him come along...?

"Come on, cheer up," Moegi whispered to them. She had come back to crouch down next to the little human. "We're almost there."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, on the alert, looking about him. He still couldn't make out anything through the dark trees.

"Only four or five trees to go," the little vampire nodded. "Come on, Konohamaru-kun..."

Unmoving, Konohamaru took several deep breaths, until he resolved himself to get up and resume walking. Naruto smiled faintly. Somehow, the kid's strength made him feel even worse; a bothersome mix of guilt and pride. His disciple was a bratty show-off, a tad too self-confident and who called himself a vampire hunter even though he was still scared of the dark... But in spite of his fear, he had followed him there, with little to no complaint. Who would have thought an eight years old kid could cling so much to his goal?

"_A friend in need is a friend indeed."_ Naruto raised an eyebrow, and his smile widened a little. It was easier to understand this sentence Iruka had told him, long ago. Even here, Konohamaru was still following him, trusting him... How many people did he know, who would go this far?

'Not many, that's for sure. And I won't let you take them away from me...' he thought, thinking of the vampire.

"Well, are you coming, Naruto-niisan?" Moegi asked, bringing him back to earth.

"Ah... yeah, coming!"

They walked the rest of the way. Six trees further, Naruto was shocked to realize that the forest ended abruptly.

"What's..."

"Shhh!" Moegi cut him off, suddenly enthusiastic. "You'll see."

Once they'd reached the edge of the forest, they were able to watch their surroundings, and Naruto almost choked out of astonishment. A vast, clear space was lying before their eyes, a surreal park bathing in the moonlight.

If it was indeed a park, it was the biggest and most badly-kept Naruto had ever seen, and there was no shortage of those in Konoha. Trees of all sorts, big and small, old and young, were growing just anywhere, far apart from one another. The teen vaguely noticed several that were cut down, their trunk sagged on the ground, and others that looked burnt. By lightning, or something else... The marks on some of the closest trees looked like nothing he'd ever seen. And the variety of most creeping plants he could see from their observation post was unfamiliar to him.

Two things clearly stood out: the first was a remote area, which he could hardly make out from here, but looked like a vast cemetery, covering an improbably large portion of land. The second was the gigantic manor sitting imposingly right in the centre of the park.

Naruto had never seen one this big before. It was three times the size of the Uchiha manor at the very least, which was saying quite a lot. It looked more like a castle than a manor, with all those windows, those walls of unequal stone and this huge roof sprouting several towers reaching for the sky. What looked like a cloud of black birds engulfed the towers... or were those bats?

Naruto gulped. This manor looked like it had come straight from a bad horror movie. As dark as the forest, and looking almost as old...

"What... _is_ this place?" Konohamaru gaped.

Moegi grinned, visibly delighted that the view had such an impact.

"A lot of vampires come by here," she explained. "Some of us live here."

"But... who on earth build this manor?" Naruto asked breathlessly. "In the middle of the forest..."

He had just noticed that indeed, the forest wasn't ending here at all, contrary to what he'd previously believed. The same dark and thick trees surrounded the park, like natural ramparts...

Naruto didn't wait for an answer, rising a little from his hiding spot beneath the branches, his attention focused on the manor. His heartbeat quickened when he spotted someone under the light of the windows, not far from an imposing wall. It didn't look like the person had seen him, though.

The teen relaxed slightly, and then frowned. That person... looked familiar. He took some steps forward, unable to hear Konohamaru's hastened warnings, and stared at the figure. They weren't tall, probably about his height. Now and again, they knelt down, picked something from the ground, then straightened up, examined the thing and went back to the searching.

Naruto crept closer, screwing up his eyes to look harder in the darkness. He saw short black hair popping out of a light sweatshirt with a high collar. Despite its thickness, the cloth couldn't hide completely the feminine curves underneath...

He literally jumped out of surprise.

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to stop himself.

His outburst echoed in the whole park. He heard a half-suppressed swear behind him. The figure had frozen. She turned round slowly, spotted him, and clapped both hands over her mouth. Whatever she'd been holding fell on the floor.

"Na...Naruto...kun..." Naruto guessed more than he heard her terrified whisper in the dead silence.

It truly was her. Hinata Hyuuga.

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. What was his classmate _doing_ in the middle of the forest, at night, in a vampire nest? Could it be... Could she be...

A long howl reverberated. The teen turned round, on the alert. The howling lingered. Steady, it carried far in the silent night. Naruto guessed it came from a wolf...

A call. Or a signal...

"Oh no!" Moegi cried, her features distorted by sudden panic.

She grabbed Konohamaru's arm, signed to Naruto to follow her and disappeared into the woods:

"He's coming! He's coming!"

Naruto's blood ran cold. He ran after her without looking back. The monster? Probably. Definitely. It might be close. He had to flee!

He had only taken a few steps in the woods when he tripped on a root and fell flat on the floor, grazing his left knee in the process.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto got up as fast as he could and started off again. But Moegi had vanished.

Naruto kept running aimlessly, searching high and low. No one was there.

"Mo...Moegi! Konohamaru! KONOHAMARUUUUU!"

Neither kid answered. Naruto stopped. A suffocating dread consumed him. He looked about him, more slowly this time. All the trees looked the same... Black, hostile, forming a dense, impenetrable bulk all around him... He couldn't hear anything now.

"Shit..." Naruto mumbled through clicking teeth. "Shit shit shit..."

A nearby rustle made him turn his head. His stomach went right up his throat. A big silver-furred wolf had just appeared from behind the bushes, seemingly sizing him up with its black eye. A wide, repulsive white scar covered all the left side of its face. The animal was one-eyed.

Naruto's scream would have wakened the dead.

He turned round and ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the opposite direction, forgetting his wounds, forgetting the way, forgetting everything. He didn't even realize that he was leaving the forest, running through the park, straight to the manor. That he was bumping into a gigantic wooden door, pushing as hard as he could, it was opening with a creak, he was rushing inside. All he knew was that he had to escape from the wolf, escape from the monster, escape from the vampires... Just escape!

The teen climbed a flight of stairs, crossed staircases made of dark stone, corridors with black walls sprouting candelabras. He had no idea how long he ran. At some point he got his feet caught in a carpet, lost his balance and collapsed on the floor, out of breath. Naruto stopped moving, bathing in his sweat and wheezing with his nose in the carpet, his heart beating madly enough to dislocate a vertebra, his throat on fire. He gathered all his energy to try to stop his shivers, which were starting to border on spasms. Without success.

'Shit... This place... will drive me nuts!"

Naruto bit down on his lip as hard as he could and the pain helped him calm down a little, even though it made him swear again. He forced himself to stand up, licking the blood off his mouth... That's when he felt someone watching him. Naruto looked up, his eyes rolled upwards in exhaustion and fear, ready to take about anything, when...

"_Teme!_" he cried out, so incredulous that his fear vanished into thin air.

Before his eyes, unmistakable in the dim light of the nearby candelabra, with an expression between astonishment, indignation and, something Naruto couldn't explain, panic, stood the vampire of the Uchiha manor. Sasuke.

"Naruto..." the vampire said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

His tone was urgent, and that disconcerted Naruto so much he forgot his resentment, and even to be surprised by the fact that the vampire had just used his name. His stupor prevented him from answering the question, but it looked like the Uchiha had other worries: his anxiety was growing with every passing second.

Suddenly he turned round, as if he'd heard someone approach. He looked about him, then grabbed Naruto by the arm and threw him into an adjacent small room. In turn, he slipped in, shut the door behind him and pinned the human against the wall inside, slamming his hand over his mouth to silence his protests.

A particularly unpleasant shiver went through Naruto's spine.

'It's...freezing..." he thought, suddenly nauseous.

He tried to struggle, but the entire body of the vampire stuck to his, holding him still with amazing strength and ease. Naruto could only see the back of his head, which was turned towards a tiny crack to peer at the outside, motionless. Only then did the human realize that they were in a wardrobe, and that the clothes concealed the few parts of his body that weren't already crushed under the vampire's weight.

'What's he playing at...?' Naruto wondered. He made another attempt to extricate himself from the icy stranglehold, with no success. The vampire didn't react, still staring anxiously at the door.

One or two minutes later, Naruto thought he'd seen a shadow pass by the closet, then disappear, almost noiselessly, and he felt the vampire's body tense slightly against his. His captor let another three or five minutes tick by before turning to him, a determined expression on his face.

"Follow me."

With that, the ice-cold weight vanished, the door opened, a firm hand grabbed his wrist, and it seemed to Naruto that the world was becoming distorted around him as he was dragged along at a tremendous speed, his legs following despite himself. He wanted to scream, but the speed swallowed it. He couldn't see anything but the vampire ahead of him, couldn't even get how on earth his legs could move so fast. The only things he still felt were the wind in his ears and the steely grip around his wrist.

Their mad running ended abruptly when the vampire opened a huge window, letting the nocturnal air in. Before Naruto could say a word, he took his wrist again and dragged him on the roof. He stopped on the edge, eying the ground a good hundred meters below.

"W...Wait..." Naruto managed to utter in spite of his suddenly still mouth. "You're not gonna..."

He got no chance to finish. The vampire clasped him in his arms, lifted him off the ground and jumped into the void. Yet again Naruto's scream was swallowed by the speed. Time seemed to stop as they hurled to the ground, and the next second he felt the impact...without suffering any damage. The vampire had landed safely in spite of his burden.

Naruto had no time to be surprised. The frozen hand grabbed his wrist once again, and the running resumed, this time through the woods. To his own astonishment, the young human found himself getting strangely drunk on that speed, that wind on his face and this world flashing by all around him. It felt like he was going through the trees...

The sensation didn't last. A lot sooner than he'd expected, they opened onto the empty streets of Konoha, rather far from where he had come into the forest earlier. And everything stopped.

The vampire let go of his wrist and turned to face him, a dangerous glow in his eyes. Naruto started and took a step back.

"Sasu..."

"Don't ever do this again, _dobe_," the vampire cut him off in an acid tone. "Next time I might let them drain all your blood."

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Naruto looked round, stunned. The vampire was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha... What the hell was _that?_"

There wasn't much to add. His legs finally gave way, and the teen let himself fall to the ground, groggy from this evening's events...

That hadn't been a waste of his time, that was for sure... In one night, he had met another vampire, managed to cross the forest, found and infiltrated the equivalent of Count Dracula's mansion, had been attacked by a one-eyed wolf, and last but not freaking least, the one who had become his sworn enemy saved his life...

Naruto stopped his trail of thoughts there, utterly lost. But it certainly looked like that was what just occurred... He had no idea of what might have happened had he stayed a moment longer in the manor, even less of how on earth he could have found his way back to Konoha on his own, and had rather not think about it.

'But why did he do that?'

That question remained unanswered. Naruto frowned. Looking back, this vampire had been acting strangely from the start... He jealously guarded his estate from all intruders, sent most of them to the hospital, drank Sakura's blood, knocked Konohamaru unconscious...

"_I'm not allowed to hurt you."_

He had prevented the wolf from tearing off his arm, had driven him away without hurting him, and had just helped him escape from the manor... And there was the closet... Was he trying to protect him that time, too?

"But why..." Naruto wondered out loud. "How am I different?"

He lifted his face to the star-studded sky, pensive, and a little gloomy. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of being privileged by a vampire... Especially one who had set about Sakura and Konohamaru. What was he supposed to do if his enemy refused to fight him?

Naruto grumbled. Obviously this vampire took a malicious delight in making life difficult for him...

"Chief!"

The teen started and turned to the direction the voice had come from.

"Konohamaru!" he exclaimed, his spirits lightening at once. How could he have forgotten him?

The child ran straight to him and seemed about to fly into his arms, but reminded himself on time of his dignity and stopped mid-way. Naruto, on the other hand, made no bones about clasping him to his chest and tousling his hair under his hat.

"Glad to see you made it." Naruto told him, genuinely relieved.

"Hey, don't forget I must surpass you one day, chief!" Konohamaru answered in what he intended to be a proud tone, but the emotion made his voice waver, and Naruto could tell he was close to tears. He couldn't help but laugh.

"What about Moegi?" he asked, remembering the small vampire, and he was surprised to find himself slightly worried.

"She took me back and left." Konohamaru answered, suddenly ashamed. "I know you must never leave a girl in danger, but... Well... It's not like I could walk her back to the manor... Well, I mean, Gramps would have noticed I've been missing after a while..."

"No, it's okay..." Naruto agreed, rolling his eyes at his disciple's second excuse. "She's a vampire after all. I'm sure she's alright."

Actually, he hoped so. He still hadn't the slightest idea what this monster she had spoken of could look like, but she'd better have managed to avoid it...

'What about him?' he thought, remembering Sasuke Uchiha. 'Did he make it...?'

Naruto immediately resented that thought. That guy had attacked Sakura and Konohamaru, for God's sake! And others before them! He might be a killer, for all he knew! But he had saved his life...

"Ooooh, crap...!" Naruto groused, pulling at his hair in frustration.

"You okay, chief?"

"Yeah, yeah, I feel great..." the teen mumbled, sarcastic.

This was getting too complicated. Think about something else.

It was easier than expected. A crucial fact came back to him:

"Shit, Hinata!"

"What?"

Naruto turned to the forest, biting his lips. Should he go back and fetch her? Without Moegi? He gulped. That didn't sound like such a good idea... But what would become of her?

"...Chief?" Konohamaru hesitated.

Naruto slowly turned back to him:

"No, nothing... You'd better go home."

"But..."

"Remember: the old man could notice you're missing. It's late, and I'm bushed." he added, walking away and yawning to mark his words.

There was silence, and then:

"You piss me off!" the wrathful voice of the kid barked in his back. "You could thank me, at least! It's thanks to me that you could go into the forest!"

"Okay, okay, whatever you say..." Naruto yawned louder.

"In the first place, you're nothing without me!" the voice went on, growing imperceptibly fainter.

"Exactly."

As soon as Konohamaru's furious steps had gone far enough, Naruto looked over his shoulder with a smug smirk. He had gotten rid of him for today... but it wouldn't be easy to keep him out of things from now on.

"Sorry, kid..." he whispered with an apologetic smile that the child would never see. "This is getting too dangerous for you..."

That brought him back to Hinata. He frowned. As far as he remembered, she hadn't looked particularly scared, until she had seen him... What did that mean? She was in his class, she couldn't be...

No. Naruto had seen her in broad daylight, on schooldays. He had seen her pass before the displays of garlic and charms without difficulty... Then again, the other vampire, Sasuke, didn't fear crucifixes... And all those devices meant for protection were based on superstition alone, after all. How wrong could humans be about vampires...?

He pursed his lips. Hinata didn't look like a vampire... He didn't recall ever finding her teeth particularly long... But to be honest, he couldn't pretend he had ever paid much attention to her. That girl was way too quiet to catch his interest. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to picture her as the kind of person to revel in human blood at nightfall...

Naruto resolved to go to school the next day. Whatever her link to the vampires, he had seen Hinata in their lair. There must be a reason. He would talk to her and find out the truth.

'Sorry, Sasuke.' he thought, a sardonic smirk playing on his lips. 'I'm not through with you yet...'

* * *

Sasuke told himself it wouldn't help, but that didn't prevent him from calling himself a fool over and over as he ran. What the _hell_ had come over him? On the pretext of sparing a complete idiot the trouble of being literally bled dry, he ended up running flat out with death on his tail. He did _not_ need that kind of training.

'And on top of that, that bastard has gotten faster...' he thought with growing dread.

The vampire slowed down just long enough to transform. He leaped, landed on all fours in the body of a young black wolf, and set off with his speed increased fourfold. In the meantime, his pursuer had gained ground...

'Damn... I won't die now!' the wolf thought, weaving like the wind between the trees, his legs barely touching ground. He had no time to call for help, and the monster would have no mercy. Everything hinged on speed...

Sasuke felt that he was starting to take the lead. He forced himself to keep the pace, even when he glimpsed the edge of the woods. The wolf went past it without slowing down, shifted shape again in the park, leaping to the sky and spreading his front legs as they turned into wings, flied to the manor as a bat, through the first open window he could find.

Only once inside and back into his original body did the vampire allow himself to calm down. To stop worrying about his pursuer, that is. But Sasuke was nowhere near ready to forgive himself his madness. To think he'd just risked his life for a _stupid_ human being...

Sasuke pulled a sour face, aggravated. He had agreed to never hurt him, certainly _not_ to become his nanny. If that idiot of a dunce couldn't stay still, it wasn't his problem, and Sasuke had better things to do than take the risk of getting cut in two to save his life.

"You got lucky," a voice commented behind his back, freezing him to the spot.

Sasuke looked up to glare at the intruder. He knew what was coming...

"Usually, you aren't so foolhardy," the person went on in an even tone. "I almost managed to kill you this time..."

Sasuke gave him a sarcastic smirk, feigning disdain:

"Disappointed?"

The other vampire stared at him wordlessly, screwing up his eyes. It was hard to tell if he was angry; whether those eyes reflected hate or he was seriously pondering the question.

"You know I have no mercy," he said at last.

"I know." Sasuke held his gaze. Yet he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead, which he knew weren't due to effort.

The other vampire kept staring at him a while, then lowered his head and closed his eyes. Something he did often when he blamed himself for something.

"I would have preferred to kill you tonight," he said with something akin to lassitude. "I don't like to talk to my preys."

Sasuke was tempted to retort that he had no obligation to come and talk to him, but held himself back. He suspected the reason why this vampire talked to him was the same as his own for listening, and knew he was in no place to criticize. More than anything, he knew he shouldn't complain about his situation towards this monster. Even though it was a precarious one, Sasuke thought, gulping with difficulty.

"I prefer being sure you are scared," the other vampire said, walking away without further ado.

Sasuke smiled bitterly:

'You'd have to be crazy not to be scared...'

He heaved a long sigh, and emptying his lungs helped him bring back his composure. The main thing was to have escaped him. And to be honest, he was also glad this vampire hadn't asked why Sasuke had been imprudent enough to go into the forest even though he knew the monster was there... Sasuke's face almost darkened in shame. Really, he'd rather not have to face the ridicule of such a confession.

'I was paying my debt.' he thought in ill-humour. 'That's it. Just the once won't hurt. Next time, I let him get himself killed.'

However, this thought wasn't so comforting. If he let that idiot die, Sasuke'd rather not think about the consequences... He brought his palm to his face wearily. Why was it that this dumbass took such delight in making his life difficult?


	6. Another Path

**Before the Dawn**

Disclaimer: Rumour has it that Masashi Kishimoto collects doujinshi... I can only assume he doesn't mind amateurish authors borrowing his characters.

Warning: _One_ swear word. (...I think I'll stop the warnings for the next chapters.)

Author's note: You must be pretty tired of my apologies by now... I'm still sorry. I travel a lot during my vacations, and don't have an Internet connection everywhere I go... I hope you can forgive me, and most of all, that the chapter won't disappoint you. My greatest thanks to _Midnight Mourner_, _Iggy_ and _misusu_ for taking the time to review!

Anonymous reviews:

_Iggy_: Wow, that's a huge compliment... There are still a lot of clichés in my story, but I like to twist them to make them _look_ original. What I like about vampires is the fact that there're a thousand ways to exploit the myth.

_misusu:_ Merci pour ton rappel à l'ordre ! XD Pas de souci, je m'occupe des deux versions. J'espère que le seizième chapitre t'a plu.

**Summary:** With the help of the vampire child Moegi, Naruto crosses the forest and discovers a hidden manor in its heart. There, he finds his classmate Hinata, but the imminent apparition of the one Moegi calls a "monster" leads her to flee and leave Naruto behind. He is unexpectedly saved by Sasuke, who barely escapes from the monster afterwards. Those events only make Naruto more determined to uncover the truth.

This chapter was beta-read by _brumal_. Glad to hear my writing sounds less foreign! I don't think it will lose much of its "unique" quality, everyone has a different style anyway, and mine is definitely influenced by French literature. I'm just happy it's easier to read. Thanks a lot, love!

* * *

_**Another Path**_

_Little child who just couldn't see  
The pressure from her so called friends  
Was simply too much_ (Sonata Arctica: _Sing in Silence_)

Like most children his age, Naruto had never liked being shut away for an hour, listening to subjects that didn't interest him in the slightest, with no future prospect aside from going to another room for the same routine to repeat itself, and so on and so forth until 5p.m. That would be junior high school.

The only fun part of the day so far had been his arrival. For the first time in two years, the boy was on time and had used the door. Quite an achievement, which had triggered a commotion almost worse than those his usual arrivals made.

Naruto had swept in like a whirlwind with a broad grin, greeted the class with a resounding "hello", and come face to face with a line of round eyes and dropping jaws. Absolute silence. Iruka had looked between heart attack and tears of joy. An interesting combination: round, teary eyes, a gaping mouth with trembling lips and a Japanese book dropped on the floor.

Naruto had raised an eyebrow, blinked thrice, and burst out laughing:

"Oh _man,_" he had managed, "just look at your _faces!_"

That broke the spell. Sardonic retorts and indignant stammering flew from all sides, and two students pounced on him. The ones he had stolen lunches from the previous day.

That had made him all the livelier, and the boy had defended himself vigorously until Iruka succeeded in separating them, with great difficulty. You can't steal Chouji Akimichi and Kiba Inuzuka's lunches and get away with it... Naruto considered himself fortunate that Kiba hadn't managed to usher his dog in the school that day. In the end, the three of them had gotten off with a warning, and class had started without another incident. Of course Naruto had gotten about fifteen bruises and two lumps at recess.

The teen yawned and rubbed at his still aching jaw. Not such a bad morning, even though he could have done without the fight. Not that the fighting itself was a big bother to him. Naruto was used to being hit and knew no better way to let off steam. But this time, the dispute had prevented him from talking to Hinata...

His head resting on his crossed arms, Naruto glanced over at her. His classmate was sitting two seats and a row further, looking nervously in his direction. When their eyes met, she blushed up to the ears, a frightened look all over her face, and stared down at her crossed hands. Her head sunk between her shoulders in a vain attempt to disappear into her thick overcoat.

At her reaction, Naruto couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow. Was Hinata really a vampire? She certainly didn't look like one... As far as he could judge, she was nothing but an excessively shy girl. A kind one, no doubt, since she lent her things to anyone who asked. Or maybe she just lacked the willpower to refuse anything... She was withdrawn, doleful even, and a little weird, but not shady enough to pass for a monster.

Naruto kept staring suspiciously at her out of the corner of his eyes. When he had arrived this morning, he had gotten a glimpse of her expression, a mix of deep relief and fear. The boy wasn't sure why... As for him, he had been glad to find her at school. At least the vampires hadn't done anything to her...

His frown deepened. On the other hand, that made Hinata all the more suspicious. There was definitely a link between her and the vampires. Whatever it was she was hiding, Naruto was determined to find out.

The teen's attention shifted to the clock above the desk before which Genma stood, teaching physics. 12:18a.m. In twelve minutes it would be lunch break. Naruto smiled. That would be his best chance to take Hinata aside. He would just have to make his move before Kiba invited her to eat with him. That idiot might think this morning's lesson hadn't been enough and that Naruto was asking for more, the boy thought bitterly. Always complications... Not that it would ever be enough to stop him.

* * *

At two to noon, his bag already propped up on his back, Naruto was all set. He used his chair as a starting block and stared at Hinata, who was taking notes feverishly. One minute went by, Genma dismissed the class. The hubbub of kids putting their things away, and at last, the bell...

Naruto was off like a shot. He reached Hinata's table, grasped her wrist, picked up the remaining pencil bag with his free hand, and took the whole lot with him as he raced to the door. A faint cry of protest reached his ears, but he paid no heed to it. The boy crossed the corridor at top speed, amused by the difficulty his classmate had to keep up. He got to the stairs, hurtled down them and took Hinata off with him towards the disused part of the building: the basement.

The teen eventually stopped next to an old, out of order coffee machine knocked over against a dirty wall. The smell of dampness was in the room, and lengths of piping stuck out of the walls. It was obvious that this junk room was in great need of cleaning up. All Naruto needed to know, however, was that it was quiet.

He turned to Hinata with an apologetic smile, a little hesitant:

"Hum... Okay, sorry if that was a little abrupt. But we need to talk..."

She wasn't listening. Red as a beetroot, her eyes were glued to his hand, which had yet to let go of her wrist.

"Oops, sorry," Naruto apologized and let go at once. "Err... Here!" he added as he handed her the pencil bag he had picked up in his haste.

Her cheeks still burning, Hinata accepted the bag with a stuttered "thank you." She held it close to her chest and lowered her head in what looked suspiciously like an attempt to hide inside. She looked torn between saying something and fleeing, and that made Naruto feel slightly guilty. He didn't fancy much the idea of interrogating a classmate... And looking back, she was one of the few who never picked quarrels with him. But still...

He thought of Sasuke, and his determination came back. Hinata might have something to do with him. She was Naruto's only chance to learn more. He was about to break the awkward silence that had settled, when Hinata finally decided to speak:

"You..." she stammered. "Is that where you eat, usually?"

"Well... sometimes," Naruto answered uneasily, "when the weather is rotten or to avoid quarrels, I eat here... But I'd rather go outdoors."

The teen broke off. He wasn't used to broach this kind of topic, the peculiar situation was making him lose assurance, and he wouldn't get any answers like that. He shook himself and looked straight at Hinata:

"Hinata, you..."

However, something in his expression seemed to scare her and she suddenly turned round, ready to take flight. Naruto's instant reaction was to reach out his hand and hold her back by the collar, which made her cry out in alarm. He choked back a scream, frozen with terror.

The turned up collar had uncovered the girl's neck. When she had made a half turn to avoid strangulation, the left side of her throat had been exposed. There were two repulsive scars on the spot. You could make out two small holes of about the same shape, strangely made, like someone had taken several attempts to perfect them. The skin around them looked red and flabby, like it had been sucked, _chewed_ on several times. _Several times..._

Slowly, he let go of her, and Hinata slapped a hand over her collar to hide the marks again. However, she didn't try to flee. She was looking at him anxiously over her hand, like a criminal caught red-handed, waiting for the verdict. Naruto gave no reaction. His thoughts were frozen in his brain. He saw the scars, and had no idea what to make of them. He didn't _want_ to make anything of them.

Lips quivering, Hinata forced herself to take a breath:

"Naruto-kun..."

"What did they do to you?" Naruto cut her off in a breathless voice. He had no clue whether or not he wanted an answer to that. "What _do_ they do to you?"

Hinata started. "That... It's not what you think..." she said in a weak voice.

"I saw you there!" Naruto took a step back and pointed an accusing finger at her. "At that manor! And those marks... You..."

He closed his eyes tightly, opened them again, and his face set in a hostile, defiant expression:

"You're a vampire, aren't you?" he asked in a quieter tone. But he could feel his forehead breaking sweat.

Hinata's eyes widened in a look of alarm: "I... No..."

"Then what does that mean?" Naruto asked without dropping his guard.

She lowered her eyes, unable to hold his glare. A feeling of guilt crept over Naruto, but he ignored it. There was no turning back. He had to know.

"I am not a vampire..." Hinata said at last in a tiny voice. "They... they can't go out... in the daylight..."

Naruto frowned.

"But you know them?" he pointed out carefully.

"...Yes."

She raised her eyes to meet his, like she feared he would hit her. The idea didn't even cross his mind.

"Then, what were you doing there? This manor is their lair! Do they... force you to go?" he asked, still tense.

"No!" Hinata answered immediately. "No... They..."

She broke off.

"I... am not allowed to tell anyone..."

"Why?" Naruto asked, offended. "You don't trust me?"

Considering they'd hardly ever talked during the two years they'd spent in the same class, that was a ridiculous question. Hinata, however, seemed to view things differently:

"Of course I do..." she stuttered, looking away to hide her dark blush. "But I..."

"Tell me the truth!" Naruto demanded. "Or else, Sakura-chan will..."

He was unable to complete his sentence. Her first day at the hospital was still fresh in his memory. He had seen the gradual restoration of Sakura's strength. If she were to fully recover, only to be brought straight back to this vegetable-like state, or killed, by Sasuke or any other vampire, Naruto would never forgive himself.

"Sakura...?" Hinata repeated.

Her expression was different. She studied his face and the worry that was written all over it. All of a sudden, she looked hurt. But also moved. And guilty.

"Yes... I heard of what happened to her. I'm sorry..." she whispered, bowing her head.

"Tell me what you know," Naruto insisted. "There are things I have to learn."

His classmate hesitated. She seemed to think hard as she looked back at him. At last, she nodded slowly.

"Alright..."

Naruto felt himself relax a little. The sudden relief woke his stomach, and its rumble distracted the boy's attention.

"Uh-oh..." he mumbled, remembering that he had failed to bring a lunchbox with him that day. "On the other hand, I'm starving... You have anything to eat?"

"You... didn't bring anything?" she asked, startled.

"Well... I forgot." Naruto answered evasively.

In the end, they found themselves sitting next to each other on an old, termite-infested desk and sharing Hinata's lunch. The girl seemed to turn redder with every passing second. Naruto was too focused on the food to notice.

"S-So..." Hinata finally asked as she nervously played with her thumbs. "What do you want to know...?"

"Hm..." Naruto pondered, his mouth full. "For shtarters, how did you crosh the foresht to the manor? Did a vampire help you?"

"N-no... There's another path..."

The boy choked.

"Wha... What?" he exclaimed, his mouth hanging open. "But... how do you know that?"

"I..."

"No, wait!" he cut her off. "First off, what were you doing there? When I saw you... I think you were looking for something. What could you be searching in that... What _is_ this place anyway?"

That question seemed to bring Hinata straight back to her former worry. She anxiously looked round, as if to make sure that no one was peeping at them, then turned to Naruto with a pleading look on her pale face:

"Naruto-kun, please..."

A surge of shyness made her lower her gaze, but she forced herself to go on:

"You have to promise me... to never tell anyone. Alright?"

Naruto looked back at her, unsure.

"But why? If you know where the vampires' lair is, that means we can stop them."

"No, you mustn't!" she said immediately, finding enough courage in herself to look him in the eye.

"What the hell do you mean, "I mustn't"?" he parroted, flabbergasted. "Vampires _kill_ people! They feed on _blood!_"

"I know..." Hinata stammered. "But they are... Some of them are..."

She couldn't find her words. She bit down on her lips, ashamed of herself, and looked back up at him:

"I can explain, Naruto-kun... I promise I will..." she said, still red in the face. But her tone was earnest. "But promise me you won't tell anyone... Please..."

Naruto hesitated. He was not even sure Hinata herself wasn't a vampire... She claimed that they could only go out at night, but it could be a lie. Could he trust her?

'It would be better if I could at least check whether or not she's a vampire...'

He remembered something in a flash. When Sasuke had touched him... The sole memory made him shudder. His whole body was freezing. An inhuman cold, that of a lifeless body...

Naruto gulped. He had touched a corpse, once. A dog's. Several years ago, back in middle school, he had hid himself in a trashcan all afternoon to escape a group of teenagers. When he had finally decided to get out of his hiding place, long after nightfall, he had walked back to the orphanage. On his way there, he had found a tall dog lying on the sidewalk with a bloody throat, stone dead. As fascinated as he was terrified, the child had touched the animal's breast, to make sure he was really dead. The vampire's touch had been similar...

He grabbed Hinata's hand, making her turn a bright red. Naruto waited for a bit, and heaved a sigh of relief. Her skin was warm.

"Okay," he smiled and let go of her hand. "I promise I won't tell anyone, but only if you tell me everything you know in exchange."

Her blush had yet to disappear. After one last moment of hesitation, Hinata nodded once.

The school's bell chose this moment to ring, announcing the impending resumption of classes. Naruto started, then let out a resounding swear, on the verge of pulling out his hair. Somebody up there had to really hate him... Just when he was going to learn the truth, this happened...

"...Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gave Hinata a weary look:

"I bet you're against skipping?"

She started.

"I... Yes."

Naruto nodded, then leant his elbows on his knees and wedged his head between his fists with a deep sigh.

"I'm cursed..." he mumbled, pulling a face.

"Don't say that..." Hinata said in a feeble attempt to comfort him, seemingly amused by his reactions.

She pondered a bit, and then slid down the desk, disturbing two termites that went running for cover in their holes. She dusted herself clumsily before turning to Naruto:

"I will... think about it," she promised, willing herself to look him in the eye. "And I'll tell you everything I can... Don't worry, alright?"

Naruto stared back at her without changing his position, and nodded.

"Okay..." he said, and sprang after her off the desk. "But you'd better not duck out of it!" he warned her.

Hinata shook her head:

"I won't... I promise."

* * *

March was nearing and as a result, the days were getting longer. That evening, the sun started going down the horizon shortly after six hours and a half, sending its last rosy rays directly through a window on the first floor of a great manor on the edge of Konoha. One of them struck the nib of a writing pen and, reflected, blinded its owner.

Hinata Hyuuga rubbed at her aching eye, and raised her eyes to her window and the orangey sky. Twilight already... She looked back at her homework and sighed, feeling a growing feeling of despondency. She wasn't done yet... However, she couldn't encroach upon her time spent in the second manor, or she wouldn't be able to sleep long enough. And Hinata knew for a fact that reducing her hours' sleep was never a solution. All it did was exhaust her even more...

The young girl stood up, crestfallen. She could try to wake up earlier the next morning... Last time, she hadn't heard the alarm clock, but next time she would be fine. She would try, anyway... But first, she had to go to the second manor.

Hinata left her things as they were on her desk to resume her work the next morning, went to fetch some notes in her closet, and put them in her bag. She then slipped its straps round her shoulders, went out and locked her door. Afterwards she went silently down the stairs and crossed the Hyuuga manor's living room.

She eventually reached the dojo, took her shoes off and resumed walking with them in her hands. She counted eleven tatami and lifted the twelfth slightly, unveiling a hidden trapdoor underneath. With greater efforts, Hinata lifted it too, let her shoes through the opening, then stepped into it herself before closing the door on her. The tatami slid back into place as the trapdoor shut, and the young girl was left in the dark.

Hinata took no heed of it, and rummaged through the side pocket of her bag for a small match box, then groped for the candle supply near the trapdoor. Her fingers eventually felt a wooden shelf to her left, and the six lined up boxes containing about twenty candles each. Hinata grabbed one and laid it down next to her to strike a match, which diffused a dim light in the tunnel. She spotted the candle left on the floor and lit it, then blew out the match and threw it in one of the small boxes provided on the shelf to her right.

Stone stairs going down into the darkness appeared under the candle's glow. Hinata put her shoes back on the best she could with one hand before she went down the tunnel, candle in hand, its light guiding her in the dark.

Hinata went on in the half-light for several minutes, until she emerged onto a red carpet stretching on the floor of a long corridor. Someone else had already lit the candelabras along the walls, the young girl noticed. She blew her candle and kept walking, keeping it with her for a later use.

As she walked, the girl thought about her conversation with Naruto on lunch break, and went pink. It had been a while since they last talked... He didn't come to class often, and the few times he did, he hardly ever spoke to her... Hinata shook her head to clear her mind of these thoughts. This was a serious matter; she had no time to waste on ulterior motives.

She bit her lip. She had no idea whether or not she felt in her right to tell Naruto what he wanted to know. Telling her classmate might even put him in danger... Of course, he was just worried about Sakura (at that thought she felt a pang of anguish) and the other victims; but could he understand...?

Hinata frowned, reprimanding herself immediately for that thought. Of course he could understand! It was Naruto. He wouldn't necessarily approve of the way she dealt with the matter, she thought, not without anxiety, but he would understand her reasons, she was sure of it... At least, he would definitely get that the extermination of vampires wasn't an option. It was too cruel...

Once again, Hinata shook her head. That wasn't the issue here. How would Naruto react when he learnt the truth? More importantly, how would her family react if they found out she had talked? She had no right to reveal their secrets, she knew that... How could she be so rash...?

'He will protect me.'

She started. That thought had come to her naturally...

"No..." Hinata whispered to herself.

She must not think like that. She knew very well that _he_ was the reason why she was less rebuffed lately. The reason why she had more liberties, was treated almost the way the heir of the Hyuuga clan should be... They all feared him. Even she was afraid of him. Less than before, no doubt, but deep in herself, she still felt the fear of the first days... And she wanted no privilege gained from terror. She aspired to be worthy of her rank. Yet now she was about to betray her family...

'I'm doing this for Naruto-kun...' Hinata thought, trying to reassure herself. 'This isn't a betrayal... He won't tell anyone; I know he won't...'

This wasn't enough to make the guilt go away. She resumed walking with her head hanging low, dark thoughts plaguing her.

Thirty minutes later, she went by several openings to stairs meant for the servants before picking one to her right. She relit her candle on a nearby candelabra and started the ascent of the stone stairs.

She got to an oak door around which two chains of garlic and wild rose trees were arranged. Hinata paid no attention to them and went through the door without difficulty. She emerged into a small, sumptuously ornate room in an archaic style, with rich curtains to the windows and ancient portraits on the walls.

Hinata went to put her half-melted candle on a free candelabra and got out of the room through a nearby door. She came face to face with a tall man, whose long silver hair standing on end askew made look even taller, dressed all in black with a mask hiding half his face. His left eye was also hidden from view by a blindfold that matched his clothes. As soon as he saw Hinata, his right eye shut in a friendly curve, which made the young girl guess he was smiling.

"Good evening, Hinata-sama," he greeted politely.

"Oh... Good evening, Kakashi-san," she answered with a slight bow.

"You're still wearing that overcoat," the man noticed in a detached tone. "I truly think it is a shame... I don't mean to criticize your taste in clothes, but with your permission, I would say that something lighter would show you in a more flattering light."

Very aware of what he implied, Hinata blushed darkly and tried her best to find a polite enough objection, but someone else got there first:

"Kakashi, unless you really want the renegade to run you through, I'd advise you to refrain from eying Hinata up," a sharp voice warned.

Said man turned to the newcomer with an apparent lack of concern:

"I simply meant for Hinata-sama to become aware of her appeal and not to be ashamed of revealing it. That has nothing to do with me. She is still way too young to interest me, anyway. Unlike someone else I know... Isn't that right, Kurenai?" he added in a jovial tone.

The young woman he had just spoken to was half a head shorter than him, with long wavy black hair, pale skin and piercing red eyes. She remained impassive and sent the man a disapproving look.

"Don't expect me to thank you for changing me thirty years ago," she bit back. "And I think Hinata can manage without the advice of a pervert."

Kakashi sighed and pulled out of his pocket a small orange book, whose back cover and title lead to suppose a not quite kosher content, as if to support Kurenai's insult with evidence, and immediately buried himself in reading, mumbling something along the lines of "how ungrateful..."

Hinata felt her cheeks burn harder and thought it wiser not to comment. Instead she turned to bow at the vampire woman:

"Good evening, Kurenai-san."

Kurenai returned her greeting with a smile. Hinata smiled back, and an idea crossed her mind. Could she tell the two vampires about what she would soon have to reveal to Naruto? They might be able to advise her...

The young girl pursued her lips. As a rule, she was supposed to talk to her father Hiashi Hyuuga, the chief of the clan, first... But she knew he would disapprove of her decision, and her faith in Naruto's word would be but a pitiful excuse for him. Hinata felt a pang of anguish. Why hadn't she simply refused to answer to Naruto's inquiries, then?

She blushed. Of course, she knew the answer... But she was well aware of the fact that her reason would not satisfy her father more than the rest, most likely even less...

"...Hinata-sama?"

Hinata started upon hearing her name and turned to Kakashi, who was staring at her over his book with an intrigued look:

"Y-Yes?"

"It would seem that your mind was elsewhere," the vampire said, throwing himself back into reading. "I just asked you if you had any idea who that small blond human I saw at the manor the other night could be?"

Calling Hinata's reaction "surprise" would have been an understatement. Positively flabbergasted, all she could do was stare at the vampire with her mouth hanging open until the power of speech came back to her.

"You... you knew?" she whispered in a breathless voice. "You saw Naruto-kun?"

"Let's say we ran into each other," the vampire answered and turned a page. "I'm afraid I gave him quite a fright. If he was your guest, I'm deeply sorry."

He raised his one eye from the book and looked deeply into Hinata's pale ones:

"But I have my doubts about that."

"You..." Hinata hesitated. "Were you the one who...?"

"'Helped him escape'?" the vampire suggested. "No... Sasuke did."

The shock turned the young human's eyes into saucers: "Sa-_Sasuke?_"

"Yes," Kakashi said, his eye gazing skywards with a pensive look. "That doesn't sound much like him, does it? And it looks like you weren't the one who asked him to..."

"What sounds strange to _me_ is that a human succeeded in reaching this manor, and I don't see how you can talk about it so lightly, Kakashi!" Kurenai pointed out.

Lost in her thoughts, Hinata wasn't listening anymore. Sasuke did that? He had helped Naruto escape from the manor, right before... But why?

The young girl was puzzled, but strangely relieved at the same time. The mystery of how Naruto had managed to get out alive was solved, and she was glad that Sasuke had helped him... and survived. Still, even though Sasuke wasn't the most spiteful person she knew, and certainly not the most cowardly, he wasn't the type to risk his life easily, especially for a human he barely knew... In any case, she hadn't expected that from him at all. Maybe she had underestimated him?

That thought made her smile. If Sasuke proved himself capable of empathy for humans, it was a good sign.

"Naruto, you say?" Kakashi repeated, his mind taken up with thoughts of its own.

Hinata was therefore reminded of his presence and, encouraged by what he had just told her, she made up her mind to tell him the truth:

"He's my classmate..." she clarified. "I don't know how he found the manor, but he saw me there... and took me for a vampire," she added uneasily. "He wants to know the truth. And I promised... to tell him..."

She broke off anxiously, but Kakashi did nothing more than stare at her with a raised eyebrow. Kurenai's reaction was different:

"You... What on earth were you thinking, Hinata?" she exclaimed, with less reproach than worry in her voice. "You can't disclose this secret to anyone! What would your father say if..."

"It sounds like this boy already knows a lot," Kakashi pointed out, his focus back on his book. "All he needs to do is reveal the existence of the manor and Hinata's involvement, and all that will be left for the Konoha authorities will be to interrogate the Hyuuga. They might even find the secret passage, and then..."

"That's enough, Kakashi!" Kurenai cut him off. "What do you suggest we do? Kill the child?"

"No!" Hinata exclaimed in a fit of panic.

"I think we can dismiss this solution right away," Kakashi concluded, smiling at her. "Personally, I'd be curious to meet this boy... He did manage to cross the forest, after all. I wonder how he could find us so easily and come out in one piece..."

He seemed to ponder for a moment, and then turned back towards Hinata:

"Why don't you invite him over?" he suggested. "It would be easier to explain the situation to him if he sees what the manor holds with his own eyes, don't you agree? And considering he has come this far already, I don't think he would be against the idea."

"In... Invite him?" Hinata parroted incredulously. How could Kakashi make this suggestion in such a light tone?

"You must be joking!" Kurenai waxed indignant, hardly able to contain her anger any longer. "Make a human child come here? This is madness! Before he can make three steps in the manor, there won't be a drop of blood left in him!"

"Unless he is in good company," Kakashi said, throwing a knowing look at Hinata. She started.

"You mean..."

"Among others, yes, I mean the renegade... Even though I'd advise you to be especially careful with him, if only for the sake of our security," the vampire added with a hint of anxiety. "If your mind isn't at rest in spite of everything, I'll be quite happy to assist him in the protection of your guest. With some luck, Sasuke won't mind giving us a hand..."

"That's not the point, Kakashi!" Kurenai cut him off. "What about the Hyuuga? You don't seriously expect them to approve of a schoolboy running wild in this manor! And Hinata will be blamed! That's just what they were waiting for: any excuse will do to..."

"You are starting to lack cautiousness too, Kurenai," Kakashi warned. "Those aren't the kind of words you can say thoughtlessly, especially inside the manor."

To this, the vampire woman found no retort. She turned her head away, piqued.

"Whatever the case, it seems to me that Hinata-sama wasn't involved in the actual arrival of the boy," Kakashi pointed out. "And there's no doubt that this story will interest the Hyuuga. And, might I add, they'd rather meet this young human before Konoha's police... Moreover, the presence of the renegade can guarantee that no drastic decision will be made regarding Naruto's future."

Hinata's hope was revived as she listened to him. The vampire was right, of course. With everything he had discovered thus far, even if Naruto learnt a little more, the matter remained the same, and called for a solution. To see that the boy met the Hyuuga might be the best way to find one, after all. They could come to an agreement with him so that the secret could be kept, but would be unable to harm him if the "renegade" objected to it...

The young girl stopped her train of thoughts there under a pang of guilt. Could she ask that of him? He was already doing too much...

"Of course, whether he accepts or not is another matter..." Kakashi said and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

Hinata drew herself up to her full height, resolute:

"I'll do my best to convince him!" she promised. "Thanks a lot, Kakashi-san!"

With that, she bowed and broke into a trot towards the basement. Kurenai watched her go, still anxious. What Kakashi had said was true, but the Hyuuga would definitely disapprove of the human being drawn here, in the very heart of their experiences... This would be put down to Hinata, and the renegade's presence might not be enough to ensure the boy's safety... And there was more.

"Kakashi..." she whispered to the older vampire, who had gone back to his book.

"Hmm?" he answered distractedly.

"You are planning something, aren't you?" she asked suspiciously.

The vampire took his time to finish his page before deigning to raise his eye and answer:

"To be honest, not really," he admitted. "But I wasn't lying when I said that this boy interested me."

He turned his gaze towards the corridor Hinata had disappeared into.

"Visibly, Hinata-sama cares deeply about him. However, more than anything, I'd like to know more about his relationship with Sasuke... He made it quite clear to me that he had decided to stand apart from humans, except for feeding. It looks like I was wrong."

Kurenai sighed.

"He is your student alright, but I think you're getting too heavily involved in his private life. And even if he were looking for human contact, what difference would that make?"

"That would make all the difference," Kakashi answered without hesitation. "The success of Hinata-sama's experience may depend on it."

The vampire woman's eyes widened.

"You really think she can succeed?" she asked cautiously, but the older vampire could feel the thin hope in her voice. He smiled:

"If it turns out that Sasuke has enough humanity left in him, I think I could start to believe it."

* * *

While the two vampires talked, Hinata had reached the manor's basement, and was standing in front of a gigantic wooden double door covered with splinters, with rusted handles. It was half-open. With a deep breath, the young girl pushed the ajar door, which opened with a long creaking.

"You're late," a voice reminded her.

A vampire displaying the appearance of a young boy was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, staring intensely at her. Hinata gulped, trying hard not to look away. The words sounded more like an observation than a reproach, and the vampire didn't look angry, but his true emotions were hard to read, and even harder to understand. As a result, it was impossible to be sure.

'There's such a deep gap between him and the others...' she thought with a pang of anguish. 'He must be so lonely...'

"I had something important to discuss with Kakashi-san," she explained uneasily.

She could make out the disapproval on the vampire's face straight away, but willed herself to ignore it. When she spoke again, her voice was calm:

"Gaara... I have a favour to ask of you..."


End file.
